Leader Dog Unveils Innovative Navigation Technology for the Blind
Online, May 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - ROCHESTER HILLS, MI,- On Tuesday, May 24 beginning at 10:00 a.m. Leader Dogs for the Blind will launch a new personal navigation device that will dramatically increase a blind or visually impaired person's ability to travel on foot independently. The Kapten PLUS device has been eighteen months in development in partnership with France-based Kapsys. Leader Dog will be the sole U.S. rights-holder and distributor of the device.
Leader Dogs for the Blind believes that everyone has the right to travel independently-to go here, there, everywhere they desire. But without the benefit of street signs or printed maps to help get them where they want to go, people who are blind may be isolated and frequently required to rely on others to help them with directions.
"The Kapten PLUS changes everything. Our ultimate goal is that everyone who is visually impaired will have specialized GPS to enhance their mobility - so there must be an affordable price-point to make it accessible to all who need it," said Greg Grabowski, Leader Dog president and CEO. "We are on the verge of making audible pedestrian GPS standard technology for people who are blind."
In 2005 Leader Dog became the first guide dog organization to provide GPS training to people while they also used a cane or a guide dog. The new Kapten PLUS unit creates the first truly affordable GPS solution tailored for the blind, at a price of only $295, compared to earlier costs in the thousands of dollars. The device will be offered at no cost to all Leader Dog clients. It will also be available to other blind and visually impaired persons through its online gift shop, www.leaderdog.org.
After intensive early development activity, Leader Dog clients begin testing the Kapten PLUS a year ago. This past March, Kapten PLUS units were used and distributed for free in guide dog instruction as well as orientation and mobility classes at Leader Dog.
"Kapsys is extremely pleased to collaborate with Leader Dog, as a worldwide leader in navigation solutions for the blind, to provide a number of technologies embedded in the Kapten PLUS after years of intense development," said Aram Hekimian, CEO and founder of Kapsys. "This project serves as a great example of how such a social device can provide mobility to the blind and visually impaired community that we are pleased to design for."
"The Kapten PLUS is a powerful tool, providing a new layer of information combined with a guide dog or white cane to make the world explorable - helping locate the places we most enjoy," said Harold Abraham, Leader Dog's Chief Innovation Officer. "Kapten is a crucial stepping stone and Leader Dog will continue to pursue the collaborative refinement of location technology, while driving down cost even further in order to give access to even more people."