DIY sonar garment – Bat detector jacket

DIY sonar garment – Bat detector jacket… Lynne writes-

Sonar garment to assist the visually impaired with navigating the built environment. Made from Lilypad main board, LV-MaxSonar ultrasonic range finder and a LilyPad vibeboard. The range finder can be set to locate a solid object X distance in front of the user and turn the vibeboard on alerting the user to stop before walking into a solid object.

This project was inspired by attending the unveiling of the award winning facilities for Anchor Center for Blind Children designed by star architect Maria Cole. During my visit one of the former students came up to speak with me because she could ‘see’ what I was wearing (a confetti fabric coat) and she too wanted to design clothes. Just goes to show ya never know where the next project is coming from!