A deafblind climber with Usher syndrome aims to become the first deafblind person to summit Mount Everest. While training, she will use a haptic vest designed to guide her through vibration signals. Guides will send remote vibration instructions that she can interpret as movement commands such as stopping or moving left or right. The vest addresses challenges created by masked, verbal directions in harsh mountain conditions and supports her limited vision and hearing aids. The project involves collaboration across multiple locations, including a haptic lab in Germany, a professor in Shanghai, and a local fashion designer in Hamilton, with support from a University of Toronto Mississauga researcher.
"When Karolina Pakenaite trekked to the Mount Everest base camp three years ago, she met a group of climbers who were aiming to become the first deaf climbers to summit its peak. Pakenaite, who is deafblind because she has Usher syndrome a genetic condition that causes hearing and vision loss realized that no deafblind person had ever summited the mountain. I started to ask myself, what if? I never imagined myself summiting Everest, but that question never left me to this day, she told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Wednesday."
"Karolina Pakenaite will be wearing a haptic vest designed by a U of T Mississauga researcher that guides can use to help her maneuver the mountain through vibration signals. The vest will let Everest guides send remote vibration signals to Pakenaite to help coordinate her movement, Lu explained on Metro Morning Wednesday. With the vest, the guides and Pakenaite can develop codes for each vibration so she can understand what they mean for her movement, like stopping or moving left or right."
"While Pakenaite has limited vision, uses hearing aids and can read lips, guides often give verbal directions while wearing masks from the elements, which poses challenges. With the vest, the guides and Pakenaite can develop codes for each vibration so she can understand what they mean for her movement, like stopping or moving left or right. The team helping Pakenaite consists of Lu, a haptic lab in Germany, a professor in Shanghai, and a local Hamilton fashion designer, according to the University of Toronto's website."
"We were just inspired to make this happen in some way, said Lu, who had previously met Pakenaite at an accessibility conference. It was so exciting to do this project. We met at the conference five years ago and I loved his work, she said. Pakenaite, who is from the United Kingdom, is now training to become the first deafblind person to summit Mount Everest."
Read at www.cbc.ca
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