SMARTBEACON:
Helps the guide monitor vest direction and distance with audible tones and speech to quickly tell if their blind athlete has veered off course, dropped behind or is stopped.. This means less rubber-necking (turning around) for the guide. It also alerts the guide if the VibroGuide vest has lost power or if the blind athlete has drifted out of range.
Using SmartBeacon, the guide can:
– Press a button on the front to send a wireless “START” command to the vest. This causes an audible announcement of START in the vest and changes the vest from an Idle mode to a full vibration mode letting the blind athlete know to start moving.
– Press a button on the front to send a “STOP” command to the vest. This causes the vest to announce STOP while vibrating all shakers in the vest three times.
– Press a button to allow an audible “ping” to sound on the guides beacon indicating the vest is following and is on center. If ping stops, this means the vest has veered off following.
VIBROGUIDE VEST and ELECTRONIC UNIT:
Worn by a blind or visually impaired athlete, the vest receives a beacon signal, calculates angle and distance to the guide and supplies correction vibrations around the torso for navigation. Optionally announces distance and direction to the guide.
The mesh sports vest is lightweight and maximizes air circulation. The electronics box is mounted in the upper center of the chest and is about the size of a hardcover book. Mounted around the waist is a two inch wide vibration belt that contains tactile vibration motors (shakers). The vibration belt has a short cable that connects to the electronic control box. The vest is secured on the body with two elastic waist straps that adhere with Velcro.
The vibration belt is waterproof and can be mounted inside of a life jacket with hook-and-loop pads. The electronics unit is adhered to the upper chest also using hook-and-loop. Both the vibration belt and electronics unit can be easily transferred from a life vest to the mesh vest.
WATER SPORTS VEST
A side-entry life-jacket (personal flotation device) can be modified with hook-and-loop pads that are pre-installed to mount the electronics unit as well as the vibration belt. Connection is made with a waterproof IP67 aviation cable. The hook-and-loop pads are adhered with rubber adhesive and are permanent alterations made to the life jacket. The modifications have little effect on buoyancy. We may offer retrofits to personal life-jackets or as a DIY kit.
