General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

4

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL CASE; PLASTIC (?) HANDLE

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

16.7 cm

Width

5.0 cm

Height

16.8 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Medical Technology

Category

Research

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

NRC

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Ottawa

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

early 1970'S

Canada

Canadian innovation designed and built by James Swail and David Hewitt in the Radio and Electrical Engineering Division of the National Research Counci (NRC)l. Swail, a blind engineer, had developed several innovative technologies for the blind during his time at the NRC between 1947 and 1985.

Function

Used by sight-impaired people to detect obstacles by means of ultrasound and to produce a tactile output to indicate their presence.

Technical

Transforms ultrasonic frequencies into vibrations.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

"MODIFIED MK III. (1)TILTED TDCRS (2) SWEPT GAIN MOD (3) VOLTAGE REGULATOR" HANDWRITTEN IN BLUE BALLPOINT INK ON WHITE STICKER ATTACHED TO END; "Obstacle detector built by Dave Hewitt N.R.C." HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK MARKER ON END.

Missing

SIDE PANELS

Finish

CASE PAINTED GREY; HANDLE IS BROWN; SILVER-COLOURED METALSUPPORTS FOR HANDLE; SMALL LEVER ON SIDE OF HANDLE HITS TINY RED BUTTON WHEN PUSHED AND MAKES ACLICKING SOUND; CIRCUITRY VISIBLE.

Decoration

N/A