Technabob » sonar

DIY Tacit Haptic Glove: Now You Can Be Like Daredevil

Range — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:31:47 +0000

Being visually impaired or blind isn’t something easy to deal with, but hopefully with future tech like this haptic glove, it will get easier. While it doesn’t replace a lost sense, it will help out trying to get around obstacles. The Tacit is a wrist-mounted sonar device, that offers haptic feedback for the visually-impaired.

Designed and built by Steve Hoefer, the Tacit glove uses two sonar ping sensors to measure distances around its wearer. The relative distance is then fed back to the user thanks to two servos, which apply pressure to the back of the wrist, helping them avoid obstacles and better judging distances.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Tacit uses an Arduino pro mini to control the sonar sensors and provide feedback to the servos. The whole thing runs off a 9-volt battery, and is completely self-contained.

What’s even more impressive is that the Tacit is actually a Creative Commons licensed DIY project. You can actually make one or have it made for you by someone who’s good with electronics. Steve provides a parts list, schematic and source code here.

[via Hack-a-Day]

Diesel SBA Black Out Watch: Perfect to Take on Your U-Boat

Range — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:37:54 +0000

This new Diesel watch comes all in black, with something pretty unique. The case is angled and features plenty of analog hands, as well as a digital display that reminds me of a sonar display.

It’s called the Diesel SBA Black Out. It’s rather large and has an equally fat leather strap to fasten onto your wrist. The watch is also water resistant down to 50m. I can’t really tell if you can tell the time easily or not on this watch, since the main dial is somewhat recessed and a bit harder to read than the analog hands. It’s actually hard to tell if the digital movement is synchronized with the analog one, or if it just tells the seconds or time in another timezone. Either way, the design is appealing.

You can order your Diesel SBA Black Out watch (DZ1404) over at Diesel Timeframes for $250 (USD).

[via GeekAlerts]

Humminbird Rf35 Wrist Wearable Gps Fish Finder Perfect for Bears

Lambert Varias — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:18:35 +0000

The Humminbird RF35 uses GPS technology to allow its user to “see” where the fishes are in an easy to read, Game and Watch-style wrist mounted LCD display. Its remote sonar sensor can detect fishes within a 75-foot radius up to a depth of 120 feet.

It really is the perfect gift for bears. Or for people who love fishing. Or for bears. I think we should have bear friends for a change.

The Humminbird RF35 sells for $80 USD and can be ordered at Humminbird’s online shop. Buy one for your fisherman friend and he’ll surely give you a bear hug. Buy one for your bear friend and he might, I don’t know, growl in gratitude.

[via techchee]