Project Tacit: Sonar For The Blind from Grathio Labs on Vimeo.

Steve Hoefer designed a diy project for making your own Tacit, a glove with sonar feedback to help the blind “see”. via ecouterre

Meet the Tacit, otherwise known as the “Hand-Mounted Haptic Feedback Sonar Obstacle Avoidance Assistance Device.” While it may look like something your favorite mutant superhero might sport, the glove has very real-world applications. Designed by Steve Hoefer of Grathio Labs, the haptic device comprises ultrasonic sensors that allow the blind to “see” their surroundings much like bats, dolphins, and Daredevil do.

SONAR SIGHT

By sending out pulses that sense objects from an inch to 10 feet away, then using small servomotors to apply pressure on the wrist to denote distance and location, the glove is able to help the visually impaired navigate complex environments with ease. (Reponse time is fractions of a second, says Hoefer.)

Hoefer provides detailed instructions on how to make your own for about $65.
The coolest part? Rather than sell the Tacit for an impossible price, Hoefer provides detailed instructions on how to make your own for about $65. “I don’t see the point of an accessibility device that has an inaccessible price tag,” Hoefer says. Just don’t be a jerk and sell it without asking him first, he adds.

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