By Jason Misner
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, HDSB STAFF

Recent Abbey Park High School graduates Garnet Mason and Vladimir Kleuv wanted to create something that would not only impress the judges at the 2011 Innovation Nation Robotics Competition this past summer, but more importantly, had the potential to benefit society if ever fully developed.

With a first-place win at nationals this summer, the team is off to a great start.

The Grade 12 engineering-savvy duo designed a Sonic Guide Wand allowing the visually-impaired to maneuver safely on flat terrain and obstacles, such as stairs.  Sensors guide these maneuvers by issuing beeping sounds which are transmitted through earphones so the operator can hear the warning beeps.

The plastic, baseball-sized wand – powered by a rechargeable battery – has two sonar sensors to detect obstacles as well as changes in distance.  The wand is also sensitive to changes in elevation.  In developing the technology, students were able to use readily-available materials at Abbey Park, with sponsors assisting with additional costs.

At the suggestion of technology teacher Jeffrey Laxton, the wand was entered and put on full display at the competition, held at Deerhurst Resort, Huntsville, Ontario, in July.  The conference, produced and developed by the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation, is designed to encourage and promote the development of innovation.

The Halton District School Board was fortunate enough to see more than one school gain success at the competition.

The Oakville-Trafalgar High School Red Devils HANK robot won best overall robot. HANK (Harbinger of A New Kool) was selected for its “commercial possibilities and potential use in a hospital or warehouse setting.”  The 2011 Innovation Nation Robotics Competition website goes on to say, “In a hospital, the robot could be used to transport supplies and linens as well as hazardous materials such as radioactive isotopes.” Click here to read a story about HANK from the 2011 spring edition of Education Matters.

Sonic Guide Wand developers Mason and Kluev were pleased with the response their innovatoin received at the competition, Mason said.  “We took the cane idea and tried to make it more inclusive,” adding the original concept was to create a robotic guide dog.

“I learned so much from the competition. There were medical professionals talking about different robotic surgeries being done. It was inspiring.”  Mason also credits their success to the collaborative effort working with his “amazing” engineering partner, Vladimir Kluev.

“You have to have a strong team to develop something like this,” he said. “There were things he knew how to fix that I didn’t know. It was a team effort.”

While there are similarly-designed guide wands on the market using sonar, Mason says what makes their creation unique is it senses height. He said he and Kluev are really happy to have designed something with the potential to help society.

“The idea of engineering is to make something that helps people,” Mason said, noting they had hoped to connect with the Canadian National Institute of the Blind to show the wand but were unsuccessful. Mason and Kluev tested the wand at school during the development stage.

Laxton, technology teacher at Abbey Park High School, said his former students showed great creativity and social awareness with their guide wand design. He described how Mason and Kluev would encounter problems and devise solutions.

“There are similar blind canes on the market that use sonar or sonic devices, but none sense height. The ground never has to be touched. It's an innovative idea from this sense.”

There were many lessons the two students learned, the teacher explained.

“What they have learned through this whole process is that engineering is a process involving many aspects of a design model,” Laxton said. “Important things they learned include working as a team and how to rework a problem to make it right. Learning doesn't just come from a textbook, it comes from making mistakes.”

Since Mason and Kluev have started post-secondary education, the pursuit of bettering the guide wand might have to wait, but Mason is hoping they can eventually reconnect to finish what they started.

“We would love to be able to keep working on it, but for now it’s going back to the school,” said Mason. “The idea of continuing it is amazing. It was a lot of fun.”