JEZ BRANDON - Founder & Inventor
Jez Brandon
BACKGROUND
Acoustic devices - Designed and built for his MSc in Electronic Product Design
• The Vector Sight - enables blind people to participate in the sport of archery.
• The Sonic Wayfinder - remote controlled sound beacon helps blind people
navigate buildings and open spaces
• The Sonic Talkman - talking menu for blind people
Jez Brandon has developed a number of specialised acoustic products. Initially working in the field of directional acoustic guidance devices for blind people as part of his Master of Science Degree he manufactured the Sonic Wayfinder - a remote controlled sound beacon which helps blind people find their way in buildings and open spaces as well as enabling them to locate their property such as coats and bags. The Sonic Wayfinder is used to find any chosen location by placing the Wayfinder at the location and pressing the remote control button. The Wayfinder emits a directional sound and the user follows the sound to their chosen location.
Acoustic devices - Designed and built for his MSc in Electronic Product Design
• The Vector Sight - enables blind people to participate in the sport of archery.
• The Sonic Wayfinder - remote controlled sound beacon helps blind people
navigate buildings and open spaces
• The Sonic Talkman - talking menu for blind people
Jez Brandon has developed a number of specialised acoustic products. Initially working in the field of directional acoustic guidance devices for blind people as part of his Master of Science Degree he manufactured the Sonic Wayfinder - a remote controlled sound beacon which helps blind people find their way in buildings and open spaces as well as enabling them to locate their property such as coats and bags. The Sonic Wayfinder is used to find any chosen location by placing the Wayfinder at the location and pressing the remote control button. The Wayfinder emits a directional sound and the user follows the sound to their chosen location.
Blind lady using the Sonic Wayfinder to find the manager's office.
(click any image to view video)
click any image to view video
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The Sonic Talkman
The Sonic Talkman is a talking menu system commissioned by a college for blind students in Birmingham. It is programmed with the daily menu and tells the blind students what is available at the touch of a button.
The same technology was used in a system to help a blind horse rider ride around a dressage arena. A unit was placed at the four corners. As the horse rider approached a corner of the arena the talking unit was triggered by a sensor and would speak the letter A, B, C or D which represented each of the corners. This enabled the rider to know where she was within the dressage arena.
The same technology was used in a system to help a blind horse rider ride around a dressage arena. A unit was placed at the four corners. As the horse rider approached a corner of the arena the talking unit was triggered by a sensor and would speak the letter A, B, C or D which represented each of the corners. This enabled the rider to know where she was within the dressage arena.
Perhaps his most unusual acoustic device to date is the Vector Sight which enables blind people to participate in the sport of archery. It uses a series of different pitched sounds heard through cordless stereo headphones which enables blind people to participate in the sport of archery. The Vector Sight does not lock on to the target - a blind archer needs the same skill as a sighted archer - but the system tracks the bow's position and indicates the direction to move the bow. High pitches indicate that the archer needs to aim higher, low pitches mean aim lower. If the sound is in the left ear - aim left, in the right ear - aim right. When the archer is central - there is silence and the archer looses the arrow.
Pat - blind from birth - is using the Vector Sight to help him aim at the target.
(click any image to view video)
(click any image to view video)
click any image to view video
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Jez took his Master of Science degree in Product Design after inventing the Black & Decker Alligator power saw and realising he wanted to be a full time inventor. His interest in acoustics goes back to his early years when he built loudspeakers for pop groups.
He says "I live near a busy junction and see fire engines being held up by motorists many times a day. I have known about this problem for a long time and vowed I would build a better siren system to help fire engines and emergency vehicles get through the traffic quicker. My experience of building directional guidance beacons has been invaluable in developing directional sound signals The sounds used in the archery aiming system were designed to stimulate specific actions in the user and provided a foundation for developing siren sounds which encourage motorists to take avoiding action without panicking"
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He says "I live near a busy junction and see fire engines being held up by motorists many times a day. I have known about this problem for a long time and vowed I would build a better siren system to help fire engines and emergency vehicles get through the traffic quicker. My experience of building directional guidance beacons has been invaluable in developing directional sound signals The sounds used in the archery aiming system were designed to stimulate specific actions in the user and provided a foundation for developing siren sounds which encourage motorists to take avoiding action without panicking"
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AWARDS
SMART Award - £45,000 grant funding
Member of the Institute of Acoustics - MIOA
Master of Science - MSc Electronic Product Design
Merseyside Innovation Award Winner
Incorporated Member - CIOB
Distinction in Economics & Finance
Distinction in Digital Electronics Technology
Distinction in Computer Aided Draughting
Distinction in Electronic Systems
The Quadrasonic Siren System is supported by
the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology
and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
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SMART Award - £45,000 grant funding
Member of the Institute of Acoustics - MIOA
Master of Science - MSc Electronic Product Design
Merseyside Innovation Award Winner
Incorporated Member - CIOB
Distinction in Economics & Finance
Distinction in Digital Electronics Technology
Distinction in Computer Aided Draughting
Distinction in Electronic Systems
The Quadrasonic Siren System is supported by
the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology
and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
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