T215903 HyndSight Design Abstract

Danger to Deaf Cyclists:

Approximately 5% of Canadians aged 15 and older have hearing limitations. Profound hearing loss (little to no residual hearing) affects approximately 0.84% of the population. Within the City of Toronto, one problem faced by the deaf community is the inability to receive auditory input while cycling, which includes sirens, car horns and even the sound of an approaching vehicle. The lack of auditory input creates a greatly increased risk to deaf cyclists.

Mechanics of the Problem:

To account for the lack of auditory input, a product must be designed that transforms road sounds into sensory input that is accessible to deaf cyclists (sight- or touch-based signals). Additionally, any solution to this problem needs to account for the near-constant level of background noise on city streets, and the solution cannot create a distraction to cyclists that would endanger them further.

The HyndSight:
To decrease the risk posed to deaf cyclists, our team created the HyndSight. Comprised of a pair of directional microphones that can be attached to any bike helmet, the HyndSight measures the rate of change in sound outside the range of view of the deaf cyclists. The sonic input is then converted to light, and a warning is provided to the cyclists by way of an LED array, which can be attached to any eyewear frame. The HyndSight is designed to act as an add-on to common bike gear (helmets and glasses/sunglasses), making it easily accessible to both the deaf cycling community, as well as all other cyclists.

Why It Works:
The functionality of HyndSight is based on two key design features. The first feature is the measurement of the rate of change in sound. By differentiating the basic auditory input present at street level, the HyndSight filters out the constant background noise. The HyndSight also limits input to positive rates of change, meaning it only responds to approaching traffic. The second key feature of the HyndSight is the placement of the LED arrays. By attaching the LEDs to the arms of eyewear frames, the system output is only experienced in the users peripheral vision. Peripheral vision has a heightened sensitivity to light, as well as a decreased visual resolution, allowing the user to be aware of the lighting changes without being fully distracted by them. Preliminary testing of the HyndSight has shown that reaction times to signal outputs have been regularly less than 250 milliseconds.

Conclusions:
The HyndSight offers a new degree of safety to deaf cyclists. Preliminary tests have shown the system to respond superbly to various types of auditory input. Moving forward, we plan to begin field-testing the HyndSight. By improving on the design of our prototype, we can further refine the microphones pickup field and the range of LED responses. By capitalizing on the HyndSights unique functionality, we can reduce the risks faced by deaf cyclists and improve their quality of life.