Tactile Sight, a Guelph based company has been developing a belt that will assist the blind and Alzheimer’s patients with their daily tasks. The Tactile Sight belt uses a combination of GPS, tactile motors, altimeter, accelerometer, compass and customized software to guide its users. Eventually many of the parts may be replaced by a smart phone such as the iPhone. The motors are located in the front, back and both sides of the belt and vibrate to guide the user in the right direction. Toronto Rehab will be testing the belt this summer on elderly patients suffering from dementia.
Tactile Sight was founded to commercialize the technology developed by University of Waterloo Professor John Zelek. The company was funded with $156,000 from the U.S. Alzheimer’s Association and $40,000 from the Ontario Centres of Excellence.
Tactile Sight Inc. is dedicated to providing sensory substitution systems that are adaptable and cost effective. [more]
Henry Finn
Henry Finn is Techvibes Community Manager for the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Henry is a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo where he majored in Economics and minored in Management, East Asian Studies, and International Studies. He is looking forward to showcasing some of Waterloo's latest tech startups and providing readers with an in depth...[more]
