Patent Pending Technology
Keyboard Only Interface
Thermal display assistive navigation technology for the visually impaired.
KOI pairs with a wearable depth-sensing device and turns nearby obstacles into a physical heat map.
Our first prototype is focused on helping blind users build a quick, intuitive sense of the space around them without relying only on audio or haptics.
We are building a handheld device that uses heat to communicate location. The goal is to help visually impaired users gain the kind of spatial awareness that sighted people often take for granted.
Tools like guide dogs and canes can be powerful, but they do not always provide mid-range spatial awareness. There is still a gap between immediate obstacle detection and understanding a room or path ahead.
Potential users said that headsets they tried could cause sensory overload. Audio and haptics can add to that. When feedback is constant or competing for attention, it creates friction instead of clarity.
KOI is designed as a quieter output medium. Instead of another stream of sound or vibration, it lets the user explore nearby structure through touch.
The goal is not just alerts. The goal is to help users build a mental picture of their surroundings and move with more confidence.
Rather than reinventing the sensing device itself, we provide an alternate output medium that integrates with existing depth-sensing headsets. That makes those systems more appealing to consumers, while solidifying our position as a universal device.
Millions of people live with blindness or uncorrectable vision loss. They need affordable tools that provide more than immediate obstacle alerts.
KOI uses thermal output because it can be quieter and lower profile than audio or vibration, while still being interpretable through touch.
A 2D array of resistors heats up in locations that correspond to obstacles. Like a touchscreen, cells activate only when touched and when there is an object in that area.
V1.0 is focused on component testing and technical specs. Next comes an ergonomic form factor, headset integration, safety validation, and trials with visually impaired users.
We met on a combat robotics team and now build KOI across hardware, software, and mechanical design in-house.
Leads software, integration, and product direction.
Leads circuit, resistor-array, and hardware development.