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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Is it easy to learn?
- How reliable is the 'K' Sonar?
- Is the 'K' Sonar waterproof?
- Will the 'K' Sonar interfere with other electronic equipment?
- Will the ultrasound from the aid cause damage to anything?
- How does the 'K' Sonar compare with the Ultracane and the Miniguide?
- What happens if it breaks?
- What does the Warranty Cover?
- For how long will the battery last?
- 1. Is it easy to learn?
The process of learning has been found an intuitive and quick. The feedback the user will get through the ears listening to the object echo signatures as the travel path is scanned ahead, tells the user about different objects in the path that need to be avoided. The brain creates cognitive maps subconsciously. When the brain has become adapted to the echo signals the user will find the way about with a lot less effort than at the beginning. The process is very much one of self learning through dynamic activity.
- 2. How reliable is the 'K' Sonar?
The 'K' Sonar as an ultrasonic instrument is manufactured to be reliable in operation. It is very sensitive in responding to the wide variations in objects that the sonar beam normally encounters. Any discontinuity in an object's surface produces a reflection that is detected by the user's ear.
- 3. Is the 'K' Sonar waterproof?
The 'K' Sonar is especially designed to be splash proof, which means that it can be taken out in any weather. Like other electronic equipment, such as mobile phones, it must not be submerge in water. To provide the high level spatial information, the 'K' Sonar uses specially designed solid dielectric capacitance transducers. Only Bay Advanced Technologies Ltd can make these transducers with the sensing capability essential for the 'K' Sonar. The surface vibration of the transducers is impaired by droplets of water due to rain. However if the output audio volume drops down to an unusable level in heavy rain, the 'K' Sonar body should be shaken to release the droplets of water collected on the transducer surface. The sensitivity will recover fully when the unit is dry.
- 4. Will the 'K' Sonar interfere with other electronic equipment?
The 'K' Sonar is interference free. It has been tested to ensure that it complies with EMC emission standards. It is also tested for CE Marking, which covers all interference requirements.
- 5. Will the ultrasound from the aid cause damage to anything?
The 'K' Sonar is a very powerful continuous radiation high energy sensing device, but ultrasound peak power is small compared with other ultrasonic echolocation instruments. It cannot cause any damage.
- 6. How does the 'K' Sonar compare with the Ultracane and the Miniguide?
Both, the UltraCane and the Miniguide are pulse-echo tactile sensor devices. The devices are said to model the bat's sonar. The only modelling of the bat's sonar these sensors can do is simple object detection using a tone pulse as the ultrasonic emission. The information that these devices provide is based on hand vibrations. The hand holding vibrating sensor indicates only how far away the nearest object is. These aids provide no information about the kind of object that is being detected. There is no discrimination between objects for the brain to use. All objects produce the same distance sensing vibration. The angular discrimination of the wide beams is poor.
The 'K' Sonar on the other hand is unique and much more powerful. This is in terms of being able to accurately determine the distance of an individual object, sense multiple objects, and enable the user to identify these objects. The 'K' Sonar especially has a narrow beam. The narrowness of the beam together with the ability to discriminate between different surfaces provides a great navigational benefit as an object-mapping device. As an example the 'K' Sonar makes it much easier to walk between two different objects and separately track their relative position flow. It is easier to discriminate between two objects close together like two sides of a doorway from any angle.
- 7. What happens if it breaks?
If anything should go wrong with the 'K' Sonar the faulty unit should be returned to the supplier.
- 8. What does the Warranty Cover?
The 'K' Sonar carries a warranty of 12 months from date of customer purchase in the event of device failure due to manufactured parts. The 'K' Sonar comes with a full manufacturing warranty as defined, except the battery, for one (1) year from date of customer purchase. The serial number sticker, prefixed with the letter 'K' and printed sequentially is applied to each carton box prior to delivery (i.e. K-001, K-002, K-003). This number is used as a database to identify each purchase and date of purchase. This data is used for warranty purpose and other tracking as appropriate.
This warranty is only valid against manufactured defects of the product and malfunctions, but not the result of abuse or mishandling by others. We make no warranties expressed or implied including warranties as to the high merchantability or as to the fitness of the product for any particular use or purpose.
- 9. For how long will the battery last?
The battery is rechargeable and should last at least 2 years before renewal. The power adapter is supplied for charging the battery regularly. The only power adapter supplied with the 'K' Sonar package should be used to charge the battery. The wrong charger may severely damage or destroy the unit. The battery is prevented from over charging. When charging the battery a bleep sound indicating that the charging process has started. It is good practice to charge the battery over night.
