Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
Jon said: “I wanted to tell you about some new technology that might help blind or visually impaired individuals. It’s called Buzz Clip. It clips onto a person’s lapel and sends out an ultrasonic beam in a cone shape. When the device senses an obstacle within 2 meters, it vibrates to alert the person that they’re approaching an object that may be dangerous. It is a product that is being produced in Toronto, Canada. Wondered what you thought about the device. i thought it might be helpful for me.”
Jon, Buzz Clip is an Indiegogo project, it looks like it’s fully funded and then some. Buzz Clip promises to send alerts when it senses objects either within a 2 meter or 1 meter radius, depending on whether the device is set to near mode or far more. The company expected to deliver the product to backers around March or April 2016.
It looks like they haven’t yet, but they claim that’s only because the UL and CE certification processes are taking longer than expected, but that they are making progress and still expect to deliver.
We wouldn’t endorse the product for now since it’s not really available yet
We wouldn’t endorse the product for now since it’s not really available yet, but it does look interesting and worth keeping in mind.
We’re in radio so we have plenty of visually impaired and fully blind listeners and it certainly seems like a device some of them may be able to benefit from when it’s available to the general public.
If our visually impaired listeners are feeling brave, they can pre-order for $200 at iMerciv.com.