Echolocation Activities
Indoor Mode
In front of a wall
A wall will be the perfect object to start picturing your surroundings and have a notion of what obstacle detection is like.
- Place yourself in a space broad enough for you to step back and move forward.
- Start at a point where you are about 15 feet away from the wall.
- Activate the obstacle detection in indoor mode.
- Start by noticing how the vibrations feel, begin to move forward in a straight line, and notice how the vibrations change as you get closer to the wall with every step.
- Step back to your original position, paying constant attention to the vibrations.
On the move
We suggest you do this activity with one of your usual walks or a daily commute; we recommend training in the indoor and outdoor mode for this exercise. Take a 15 – 20 minute tour to explore a path that you know by heart.
- Activate the indoor mode to get to your desired destination.
- Activate the outdoor mode as you come back home or return to the original position.
Pay particular attention to the difference between the first trip and on your way back.
Pro Tip: You may adjust the sensitivity and range from the Sunu App.
Detecting obstacles
Use an open space at home or arrange the furniture in a way that blocks your way while passing by. (e.g., place a chair in front of the path so that you can detect it).
Move the furniture to create a circuit at home. Begin to activate Indoor mode and start walking; if available, use your white cane to complement your exploration. Pay attention to how the cane and the Sunu Band complement each other while discovering unknown places.
Outdoor mode
Neighborhood
Your neighborhood or streets that are familiar to you are a good start.
Activate outdoor mode and go for a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood; you may complement your trip with your guide dog or white cane. This time, unlike the previous exercise, focus on finding parked cars, trash cans, or tree branches. Pay particular attention to the distance at which the vibrations are triggered.
Finding gaps
With Sunu Band, you may find gaps and open spaces such as open doors, corners, or the end of a wall. The feedback stops or considerably lessens when finding a void on its reach.
Useful tips
We refer to ‘echolocation’ as ‘ultrasonic waves;’ thus, we work with sound. It will take time to understand and adapt to echolocation during the first days; keep in mind that the sound that comes from the sensor expands in space as it travels farther away.
If the vibrations seem confusing, you can adjust the sensitivity via Sunu App through the sliders.
Please take a few minutes to read more in detail about how they work on our Sonar Sensor Enhancements and Gap Finding.
The first slider bars adjust the maximum and minimum range, from 0.7 feet to up to 16 feet.
The Sensing Angle refers to the size of the echo that returns to the device; it goes from very narrow to very broad.
Adjusting the sliders do not indicate that the width increases or decreases technically speaking since we’re talking about sounds, but it’ll be pretty helpful to start scanning your surroundings.
Lastly, you can choose to have the type of feedback that works best for you.
Choose Frequency-based for the vibrations to be more constant as you approach an obstacle. It’s the same time of feedback you hear when you drive in reverse.
Choose Power-based when vibrations feel stronger as you approach an obstacle.