Category: Daily Living
Hellow,
I was just wondering what everyone thinks of the ultracane. I have had one for nearly a year and a half and haven't been shown how to use it. My mobility teacher here at college said she could show me how to use it, but if I do start using it, I should still carry a normal cane with me incase that one breaks. What do you all think of the ultracane, if you have seen or heard about them.
I haven't heard of it before. What makes it different?
The ultracane is a cane that vibrates, I think when your coming up to something or when there is something overhead.
Ooh! I've never heard of this either. Is it like the Lazer Cane? Does anyone have those and what are they like?
If you still need a conventional cane, don't bother with this Ultra thing. Use the conventional, your training, and your senses.
I've never heard of the ultracane, but I don't think i'd get one. Is it expensive? Canes are going to get banged up, and I don't think i'd spend lots of money on one to have to buy another one in a year or two. It does sound cool though
Wow. Buying a new cane every year? Yours must really take a beating! lol
The ultracane is really expensive and I think someone had to apply for funding to get me one, then of course you've got to prove or fill in some form to say you don't have to pay vat on top of that. I will be starting working with mine on Monday. I'll keep posting on here.
Well, I look forward to seeing your posts on this, Harmony. Personally, I agree with Dave, in that, the best mobility aid is between your ears. In other words, it comes down to what we do and how we process the information delivered to our brains via sight, hearing, smell, and other senses. This comes from someone who is gadjet happy, but doesn't want to relinquish too much control over such an important skill as mobility to electronics.
Lou
When I was taking O&M in high school, there were a bunch of these devices, Sonic Guide, Mowatt Sensor, Laser Cane, to name a few. What has become of these things? My instructors at the time never recommended any of these devices. I once talked to someone about the Sonic Guide; he found it more distracting than helpful.
can't you just listen for the echo a regular cane makes to know if something's in front of you. or just let the cane hit it like normal and walk around it or whatever.
I've never used the ultracane, but it sounds like more of a nuisance and more prone to break downs than I'd like.
like everyone else said, get good training, use your brains, and stick with the tried and true.
In all fairness, the various electronic travel aids have potential. I've played with a few of them, and the manufacturers generally say not to use the devices without a cane. Personally, I have enough stuff to carry without another device. With the sonar-based devices, you do get more warning about obstacles coming up, which is helpful. Again, I wonder if its worth the training, cost, and hassle of more junk to carry around. I'm not saying it is or isn't as that is question we must all answer for ourselves.
Lou
My friend dropped her ultracane the other week and still hasn't had it fixed.
So, it stops functioning as it's supposed to when it's dropped? I certainly wouldn't use it.
Hey it's me again, I've been reading this board, and I still haven't been convinced that theese ultracanes are worth it. I'd never ever spend money on one. And I juzst wanted to clarify, I exagerated when I said I buy a cane every year lol.
I was practicing with one today and I wouldn't really use it around college, because it picks up all the walls and things if I am in a corridor. I would probably use it if I was going out somewhere, though, which I'm doin with it omorrow in my mobility lesson.
Can't you just order another one? I hope the ultra-cane is not permanent. that would drive me bonkers.
oh wow. it seems as if alot of mobility devices r more distracting than helpful. i mean, come on, if u hit something and your regular cane breaks, just get another one. these ultra canes sound like more trouble than they r worth.
I hadnt heard of the ultra cane before reading this, but I've done some reading about it now. I really wouldn't bother with it. It sounds like way more hassle than it's worth. What good is it if it breaks this easily, and if you have to carry a regular cane anyway? I simply use my echo perception to know when I'm coming to an obstacle, and my cane is long enough that it gives me enough reaction time. I think there's a reason none of the electronic mobility aids have caught on over the years, and I've rarely seen an O&M instructor recommend one.
I've seen the Mowatt Sensor, and thought it was kind of interesting. I could see its usefulness when finding doorways in environments where that isn't easily done through sound, or tracking people in lines if you could get the range low enough.
I got to try out a mowat sensor, gosh, it must have been around 20 years ago now. I liked it, but it was very expensive. I was told at the time it was supposed to be used mainly in familiar environments, where you would use it to make sure nothing out of the ordinary was in your way. For example, if you worked in a building that you were used to, you used it to avoid people, trash cans, etc…things that weren’t necessarily in the same place all the time. One major drawback besides the price was that it couldn’t sense a dropoff. You were just out of luck if you forgot there was a stepdown or set of stairs around. I sure hope these newer gadgets have made some improvements in that area.
Problem with that is you'd have to hav a dedicated sensor to point at the ground, and I'm thinking that how much warning the device provided would depend on the reflexes of the end user. For me, as I've gotten older, my canes have gotten longer for just that reason.
Lou
It's also realy annoying when you take it up or down stairs, because the position of the sensor changes, so it starts vibrating all the time.
A couple days ago, someone posted a really detailed review of the Ultracane on blindcooltech.com. I started reading it, but never finished it yet.
drop offs sucks. a friend was guiding me. my left foot slipped off of a foot deep curb and i sprained m ankle.
i think i'll stick with a reggular cane.
IMO, what can this do for anyone that a regular cane used properly can't do cheaper and better?
My regular cane takes a beatting especially the tip.
My cane tip has a hole in it.
I had one like that once. The hard part is replacing them. Somehow you have to get the old tip off and replace it with the new one.
I have the hook one, so I have to try and hold the elastic after taking the old one off and until I put the new tip on.
I heard this reviewed on blindcooltech. it sounds interesting that's for sure. I may have considered trying one if I didn't have a guide dog. course, one still needs to use a cane occasionally, but one would need to use the ultra cane on a regular basis I would think.
will have to read about this more.
To the poster with the dog guide, I probably wouldn't invest in this cane, as I'm betting its somewhat expensive to use as a back-up for your dog guide.
Lou
Hi there, i haven't brought one as i know a friend who had one and in the first week, it went faulty and the battery ran out. plus if it vibrates even going downstairs, that would anoy the heck out of me.
its not worth my 787 bucks, now if i could find something that could help me avoid smacking my head on side mirors, yeah that would be nice, i am 4'11 and could use somethin to help me avoid stuff over head and such, something that isn't 800 bucks
I don't use my ultracane now. I've been shown how to use it, but there's no point seeing as I'm at college or I know what's normally on the routes I use anyway and it's just annoying when I know perfectly well where the wall or the door or the stairs or whatever are, thank you very much, cane.
See? worthless, IMO.
Hahahaha! *laughs*
wow, didn't you say you had this baught for you, using grants or whatever? I think that is so crazy. you should look into the item before you buy it and see if it is going to be useful or not to you. why waist the states money? People that really need that money could and should be using it, instead of blind people or any one for that matter, . that want to try out new gadgets, that we really don't need. If it's something you really need, fine. but obviously it's not. you just said you won't be using it. What a waist of eight hundred dollars.
crazy!
Oh my, I wouldn't trust these with my life. I had to do a white cane day folder for Lions. And I used the Laser cane as my electric cane of choice for the report. Um, let me tell you something: I'd rather spend $80 bucks on a folding canes that'll last me 2 to 4 years then purchase a $2,000 dollar cane that'll break and not be under warrenty. You break it, and then you have to go back to a actual cane - and the electric cane you're use to using I wonder if you'll lose your mobility training when going back to a regular cane? Doesn't the mobility training teach you how to use your ears and other senses while traveling?
Just my opinion really.
But, if you feel more comfortable and can tolerate the baggage that comes with owning a electric cane then go for it.
Nope used one and definitely prefer my dog. Doesn't break down all the time.
I'm thinking of getting rid of mine anyway, because I've only used the stupid thing like once and there's no point having it if I'm never going to use it. Anyone got any ideas what to do with it?