Beyond Self Driving Cars: Technologies for Autonomous Human Navigation is Topic of Latest Episode of “On Tech and Vision with Dr. Cal Roberts”

Podcast Highlights Big Ideas on How Technology Is Making Life Better for People with Vision Loss

NEW YORK (Dec. 13, 2021) – Can the technology used in self-driving cars be useful for people with vision loss? “On Tech & Vision with Dr. Cal Roberts,” explores this exciting concept in the latest episode, Beyond Self-Driving Cars: Technologies for Autonomous Human Navigation. Dr. Calvin W. Roberts, ophthalmologist and President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild, speaks with Jason Eichenholz, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer for Luminar Technologies, and Manufacturing Engineer, Nico Gentry. Luminar’s LiDAR technology is instrumental to the development of self-driving cars, but this same technology could be useful for people with vision loss as they need to know the same information to navigate. What is in front of me? What is behind me? To the left? To the right? 

You’ll also hear from an avid runner who is visually impaired, Thomas Panek, President and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He dreamed of running without assistance and took this unmet need to a Google Hackathon. Ryan Burke, the Creative Producer at Google Creative Lab, put together a team to develop a solution that turned into Project Guideline which helps people like Thomas run safely without assistance. In addition, Kevin Yoo, Co-Founder of WearWorks Technology, will discuss a technology called Wayband, a navigation wristband that communicates directions using haptics.

Technology is transforming the world for people with vision loss. Season 2 of Lighthouse Guild’s podcast series continues to dig deep into the big ideas that are making it possible. “On Tech & Vision with Dr. Cal Roberts,” is available online at Lighthouseguild.org and for downloading on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Podcasts and Tunein.com. Twitter: @LighthouseGld #OnTechVision. The podcast has over 5,000 downloads since it launched in 2020. 

About Lighthouse Guild

Lighthouse Guild provides exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals. We provide coordinated care for eye health, vision rehabilitation and behavioral health as well as related services. For more information, visit Lighthouseguild.org.

Press Contact:      Bryan Dotson, Manners Dotson Group

                              917-796-8632, bdotson@mannersdotson.com