I test drove Glide today.
I'll describe my experience the best I can.
I attended the third demo put on by the Glidance team including Amos the CEO and the product design team. The demo was at the CNIB in their giant conference room. The entire team was up in Toronto for the Collision Conference where they raised a pre-seed round of funding. This is the funding they need to get the real working prototype in front of investors before raising seed capital.
The demo consisted of a short 15 minute introduction to the team, a description of the product and an overview of the order of events. There was only one unit to test, so folks were invited to mingle, drink, snack and chat until they were called up to test the prototype. There was also a newer prototype on display for us to fondle, poke and prod. The entire product team was on hand and wanted all of the feedback we could give them——good, bad or ugly.
when it was my turn to drive, I took a good look at the older prototype. I got down on my knees, investigated the construction, the wheels, the shape and the material to see what the fuss was about.
If you remember the old Fisher Price popcorn lawnmower toy, you'll have an idea of what it felt like to hold the version 1 prototype handle. The business end of the unit is about the size of a small can of paint or a soccer ball. The version I drove was made of an ABS plastic material and had wheels on either side of the body that were the size of the back wheels of a tricycle. A telescoping handle came out of the top back side of the unit. The grip on the handle is a D-shaped grip—the type you'd find on fancy luggage or a wheelbarrow. On the round part of the D that intersected with the telescoping handle, there was a camera and speaker that faced outward.
Kyle, the product engineer gave me a brief explanation that he'd be walking with me as the prototype brain was in his hand instead of in the unit, but I'd get a sense of what it was like to walk with the unit. The mode I tested was a mode where I could tell Glide where to go and it would steer me there. For example, "Take me to the nearest Starbucks."
I put my cane away and walked with glide around the very large and open conference room. To do this, I tilted the handle backwards like a vacuum cleaner and walked forward. Glide dutifully navigated around chairs, tables, sleeping guide dogs and other obstacles, gently veering left or right to avoid colliding with them. It led me in a straight path until it was time to turn as if it had come to a street corner and was taking me in the direction I'd specified. The turning sensation was noticeable with a gentle curve, so not a sharp 90 degree turn. I tried pushing the unit forward in a straight line as if to override the turn, but the unit kept me on course gently turning me right.
the feeling of walking with the device was disconcerting at first, but something I quickly got used to the more I had my hand on the handle. Unlike being pulled by a dog or person, there is no "tug" sensation. Unlike a cane, you don't feel the contours of the ground vibrating up into your hand and arm the way you would with a rollerball or marshmallow tipped cane. You walk with the device, pushing it along the way you'd roll a suitcase or baby stroller in front of you. The turning of the wheels to avoid obstacles like chairs or people is subtle and for a few seconds, I felt like I was a little drunk as my steps became shorter while I made subtle movements to compensate for the slight left/right motion of the wheels. After the first turn, I was a lot more confident with the device and was taking wider steps and keeping my posture straight.
Kyle stepped right in front of the device and it braked. The braking sensation wasn't jarring or unpleasant. The stop was abrupt without gradually slowing down ahead of time. The sensation felt like my sighted guide had suddenly stopped walking forward and I was in perfect sync with them. I didn't feel like I was continuing forward on inertia. My hand felt like I'd pushed the device into a soft barrier.
After my quick 3 to 4 minute walk with the device, I spoke to Amos and the team and asked lots of questions about things from a product design perspective which is my background. I also investigated the version 2 prototype which was on a table. This version was more polished than the prototype I drove, with larger wheels, a better handle and a closed bottom.
A few notes from my discussions with the team:
• The team is all very experienced, capable and bright. It's very clear that these are the heavy hitters from our community plus others from Bose, Microsoft and others who really want this product to be the best it can be.
• the goal weight of the device is 8 pounds or less, ideally 6 pounds.
• The tech inside is very powerful. I got information on chipsets and they're definitely not giving us junky crap that will be obsolete 3 months after launch.
• The latency of the radar is almost nonexistent for collision avoidance.
• Stereo vision will likely come to the production version with resolution up to 6 m.
• I got a lot of questions answered about privacy. Users might be able to share location data for things like hotels or a shopping mall. however the way the ML and machine vision work, it won't be able to be back-engineered to derive personally identifiable information (PII).
• materials aren't final. The team wants to build a robust device to military spec. Temperature range right now is -5° F (-21° C) to over 100° F (40° C). The construction they intend will be strong and built for enduring the outdoors.
• The goal is IP5 water resistance, so you can't take it swimming.
• the mic array on the unit will be beam forming so as to cut out background sound in noisy environments.
My overall impression is that this is a category changing device, however I think that it will take some rewiring of our brains to get used to not having the "tug" sensation of a sighted guide or a dog or feeling the contours of the ground change in your hand. You could use this device in one hand and a cane in the other in an unfamiliar setting, but for familiar locations, you may wish to use Glide only.
The hardware is impressive. The prototype device didn't feel like it was too light or too heavy and the wheels felt solid for rolling around on a carpeted floor over concrete.
the killer app portion of this will be the software. As mentioned, the chipset is very powerful so it will be intriguing to see what the team will create. With their pre-seed round closed, they have the momentum to build a fully autonomous prototype from the feedback they've received so far.
I'm going to preorder one!
Comments
Finally!
This was a very informative and well-rounded review of the Glyde. I am especially appreciative of the description of not only it's build, but its funcuality.
I am also pleased to hear that the team at Glydance are taking this endeavor seriously; that they are using quality electronics, and that they intend the final build to also be more rugged and durable.
What was it like maneuvering around the sleeping guide dogs? Was there ever a moment of, "Oops almost got that one's tail"?
Since this was a controlled environment, this may not be relevant, but nonetheless was there ever a moment where someone randomly just stepped directly across your path, causing you to have to suddenly stop? If so, what was that experience like?
Thanks, Kevin, for the awesome review. 😄
Awesome review
Thank you Kevin. I'd be interested to watch or listen to a demonstration at some point. I liked your explanations.
I was at that demo, too.
I was impressed by the work the team is putting into making the Glide the best it can be. Not sure if I would ever get one or not, but I can see that it has the potential to be something great.
Serious
Thanks Kevin, for that great descrition. I have already ordered, but I am very pleased to take away from your post the sense that this is a serious venture, with high expectations.
I can see how it will take a bit of getting used to, but learning to use a cane or dog takes time to. I am even more happy wiht my decision to get involved now, even if things don't work out, something wil, one day.
Thanks for this
Thanks for this Kevin. It makes me even more excited for it when it finally comes out. Also, good to hear they're using good powerful technology. So often in our community, good ideas are massively let down by being nowhere near powerful enough.
Real world demo
What we really need and hopefully someone soon can do this is a real world demo. By that I don't just mean avoiding objects in a building but a demo with steps up and down and even holes in the ground. Glide supposedly can avoid these and help stepping up and down pavements. Now if someone demos this and it is true then that would be great as proof of concept.
I like the image of the…
I like the image of the guide dogs snoozing as their AI replacement glibly trundles by giving them the virtual finger.
Really useful review. Thanks. Yeah, as others have said, this is a highly controlled environment designed to show off the device's capabilities rather than allowing someone to discover its limitations. until it's field tested, pot holes, prams, bike racks, spiral stairs, transparent doors, revolving doors, esculators, painted curbs (yes, they exist in Bristol for bike lanes, morons)... We really can't say where this is headed. it's interesting we can use a cane at the same time.
One reservation I have is the public's perception of it. Will they know we are blind or will they just think we're sighted weirdos taking our roomba for a walk? Is there any formalised identification on the upright bars connecting handle to the main body of the device?
Also, what are we expected to do with it when we reach our destination? Is it supposed to be treated like a guide dog, put under the table, beside a seat etc? If so, dogs have the advantage of self preservation. This 2 grand piece of equipment does not.
I don't mean to be critical, these are all questions I hope they can address in time. Is it, in fact, a tactile GPS for the blind designed to replace the cane or supliment it? Is it a guide dog with a map? What problem does this solve and how?
Who mentioned using a cane at the same time?
Kevin, was it the Glide people who brought this up or was it your own idea? I ask, because, for me, it is significant.
As you wil have seen elsewhere, Biped is suddenly a mobility aid that helps you when you are out wiht your cane or dog! For £3000!
I have very much been vewing Glide as the first go at an actual robot guidedog people can buy.
If they have already decided that is to hard, I want to know. I've already said I don't believe it is possible, but I had sorta kinda hoped they had the idea to at least try!
I'm not waiting a year for a slightly better ARA/Biped/We Walk that makes me look like a total twat!
Good point
Ye'h no point having two thingns. The way I read it was you could choose to take a cane if you felt it was necessary but not required. So, for me I was thinking that I may buy a symbol cane so that people know I'm blind but it isn't something I could use to guide me with. Be interesting to see who's idea to take a cane it was.
Responses
Ollie, be critical, especially to the Glidance team. Let 'em have it. It's the feedback they want. To address your question, there is a very bright C-shaped ring that sticks out of the front of the device. This serves 2 purposes:
1. It is a part of the stand so the device can stand upright when it is at rest.
2. It is a bright magenta colour to identify this as an assistive device and not a floor cleaner or metal detector. I'm actually glad they chose this colour instead of safety orange as I think safety orange would have made it look too industrial or like you work for the city.
There is an LED ring on the device which will be RGB so it can make any colour or series of colours to make the device visible. I'd say the practicality of this would be similar to daytime running lights on a car. However, because this will be RGB LEDs, it's possible to program in some additional functions like a panic mode or even a party mode to flash the lights or have them dim and brighten like your Mac's power light.
Yes, someone stepped right in front of the device. See my description on how the device braked.
One thing I forgot to mention was the long button on the underside of the D-shaped handle on version 2 of the prototype. This is your typical microswitch button that feels clicky when you press it. This will access on-device functions.
I might suggest to the team that this button be as functional as possible to access on device controls like the volume of the speaker and so on. Maybe a long press activates AI assistance.
I made the comment about using a cane with the device as some may feel more comfortable using both or just Glide on its own. It will require a shift in thinking as you're not getting real time tactile feedback from the ground.
Love the comments. I put my deposit down today and am expecting good things from the company. Look for news on their pre-seed raise coming soon.
That's good, I am relieved
I want it to be a 'moon shot' they might as well go for full RGD and we can carry if we want someting to wave at people who might not realise it is a mobility devise!
I love the idea of party mode! If it could sink to Apple Music that would be cool!
Seriously, I am v excited - v skeptical to.
He isn’t kidding!
I had a friend who went to this as well and reported back the exact same thing This guy is saying. Preorders are not live yet only the deposits to get it 40% off when the pre-orders do launch is on but I’m not sure how much room is left.
After You Travel with Glide
To answer a question posed earlier:
Also, what are we expected to do with it when we reach our destination?
This is less clear than a dog or a cane. The device does occupy more space than a cane, but less than a dog. I'd love to see the handle telescope all the way down into the body so this can fit under a standard chair, under the seat in front of you on the plane or in the overhead bin.
This is not the form factor I am looking for...
But I hope you all do well with it.
I think I would be more comfortable with a highly-updated, redesign of the old ultrasound and laser cane devices. Something that bothe provides AI instructions, but also optically and haptically extends my sense of touch to the ground or a slice of what I point it at. Something that can literally play to my hand the texture and contour of the ground out in front of me to replace a cane, like replacing the needle on a record player with an optical scanner.
*I also seem to be getting some kind of quasi-hyphenated effect splitting up words at syllables at the margins when I read the posts on this forum, lately. It's only happening on AppleVis...
Great review
I was unavailable that day to go to toronto unfortunately but glad that someone was able to test it. Your review was very well written.
Glyde at a Blind Convention
From bumper cars to bumper glydes. I guess I'm old school. Unless I get a chance to try it before buying, not going to put money down on a product I'm not totally sold on, no pun intended. I think this sounds like a great idea, and I would like to try it out. Best of luck to the company.
What is worrying me a bit
is all this talk of funding rounds Etc. I know nothing about venture capital or angel investing, but I do pay a lot of attention to the news, especially the news about AI.
I know the GDBA in the UK spend about £120,000,000 a year, but around of third of that goes on fundraising - people give money to the dogs, not us.
At the full price of Glide that we have been told, even wiht the $40 a month subscription fee, how is it ever goign to give a ROI for investors? Given that there is a Phd in Machine Learning on every street corner in SF offering to take your money and make AGI, it seems a lot to ask for people to fund a mobility robot.
As I said, I know nothing about investing, but I saw firt hand the Seleste glasses be totally blown out of the water by the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
@old bear
What screen reader are you using? i'm using NVDA with the latest firefox and everything works fine, perhaps you could try restarting your computer?
Or you could write to the mods, they might be able to help, perhaps if you send them a recording of what's going on they might be able to help you more, i'm not sure.
@Brad
Whatever was going on with the word splitting seems to be resolved now, like within the last half hour. Who knows.
@old bear again.
Try pressing windows plus up arrow to maximise your screen, that should fix it.
@Brad
Ya, probably something like that on my end. Thanks.
Back to the Glide. I do like the idea of collapsing the handle to stick the thing under a chair, and that it can stand on its own. Two of the things that worried me. I suppose as a dog substitute, it's OK, but I'm not a guide dog user.
@old bear.
I'm not either but honestly am looking forward to checking it out when I can.
The idea of something being able to see where I'm going to go and following a set rout is great!
Roll out
After reading this review, I'd almost have pre-ordered the thing, if I had the money, and more importantly, if they had plans to roll-out it to more parts of the world. I don't know what their production dynamics will be like once the roll-out starts, but they are missing out on a large chunk of the already niche population by not rolling out to some of the countries where highest populations of the visually impaired people live. And this is a business mistake because, once the product is on the market, I'm sure some company in these markets will come up with a cheaper alternative. Only good for us but, given they're investing this much of time and effort, they should've done a bit more of market research also. Just a perspective... I mean, I'm sure they must've done their market study and must've reasons as to what they're doing.
I think the Glide is a great…
I think the Glide is a great mobility aid, but it has one major limitation: it can't handle stairs. I'd like to propose a modification that could make it more versatile. What if you replaced the cane roller tip with a wheel similar to those found on office chairs? Add some lidar technology to it, and you'd have a device that combines the benefits of a cane with the guidance of lidar. I know it sounds far-fetched, but if lidar can fit in an iPhone, why not in a wheel? My idea would allow for a foldable, compact design that offers the best of both worlds: the support of a cane and the navigation aid of lidar. Just a crazy idea from a non-engineer behind a keyboard!
Stairs
can not think a team that has thought through this much of stuff wouldn't have put thought into that aspect. I'm sure there must be some built-in way glide would be able to do it? This is why we need a field demo.
Oh, for some daft reason I…
Oh, for some daft reason I assumed it could handle stairs...
I wonder about the seeding. I'm hoping they can get enough to sustain them through development as I can't imagine the uptake for paying a deposit and then the balance over a year before it ships is going well. I'd do it for a £100 device, but for something so expensive, even with asuch a hefty discount, is a stretch. Even if it were proven tech I'd question it but as it's not out in the world yet, I'm unsure. It's basically a kickstarter and, as someone who has been burned on that platform by dreams that never really materialised, I'm cautious. I don't think they will drop the ball here. There is enough tallent on the team, I would question the decisions of their CFO. Surely someone like the US counterpart to the RNIB could help back it, or the RNIB themselves? They've done it with brail devices in the past, mobility aids seem a natural progression, though soon as someone gets killed using one, that might sour the wine.
As with self driving cars, we should not look at the people who are hurt, but how many fewer are hurt by using this emerging technology.
It can
If you read the blurb it states it can handle stairs. Or at least I'm 90% sure I read that somewhere. Maybe in 1 of the video demos.
DALEKS
Oh no, The curse of the Daleks strikes Glide!
If finds stairs, you pick it up and carry it - that is why they have a goal weight of six to eight pounds.
After sleeping on it, I think
It is to cheap, I can't see how they will sell enough to give them the money they will need to develop it. I hope I am wrong, but there has always been at least some justificaiton for the high cost of Assistive Technology?
How much is the new BT Pro? That should cost next to nothing, but i bet it is a lot more than Glidance.
A monthly payment.
Isn't this going to be one of those subscription things?? I'm not a huge fan of that but I do get it, they need to make money some how.
It's not the cost that…
It's not the cost that concerns me. If it lives up to it's mission statement and provides confident and independent mobility, it's actually quite cheap or, at least, the cost to value ratio is high. It's the method of payment that is problematic. Putting down such a huge chunk of money before trying it, before it's finished and at least a year ahead of its release, isn't something common to the accessible tech market, and for good reason. Few of us have such disposable income to risk, no matter how small the risk is. Is the deposit refundable? Is the balance refundable? If so, it's not quite so bad. If not, it's a bad business model.
Virtual demo day
I'm not going, but this is happeneig tomorrow. Maybe someone could ask some of these questions?
Don't forget upfront
With at least 500 people paying $800 upfront they already have over4 Hundred thousand $s which is a decent starting point. Maybe they couldn't get the initial funds until they could prove it was viable and people would want it. So hopefully, this may encourage people to invest.
@old bear
I've been finding on Applevis recently that Safari is getting really confused with misspelled words. It will keep saying something is misspelled and pronounce each syllable as if I've put a space in the middle, but when I review the line or words on their own then it seems fine.
Not sure if it is the same thing? This is on the Mac though.
Financials
As mentioned, I did ask the team about their fundraising efforts. They closed a pre-seed round of a large amount of money for that stage of their business. I don't want to speak out of turn, but that news is going to be announced soon if not announced already on LinkedIn.
Combining their investor dollars with customer pre-orders gives them enough to use to integrate all of the feedback into the next functional prototype. Much of those dollars will be spent on R&D.
Your deposit is refundable according to the website.
I did ask them whether they would go to Kickstarter or another crowdfunding platform to run a "buy a Glide for a friend" campaign. Their product engineer had run a prior Kickstarter that raised $11M, so he knew the space really well. He told me there was no appetite to do this currently as they wanted to speak to the users of the devices first. Plus, he knew there were many Kickstarters that failed because they sold vaporware.
From the sounds of it, they don't need to go to Kickstarter because the story for investors is compelling enough for them to part with their money.
Getting the product into global markets takes time and not something any company does on day 1 unless you have the backing of private equity with billions of dollars to burn.
@kool_turk: Stairs
Hi Kool_Turk,
The team addressed stairs in their demo. You would pick the device up and carry it up or down stairs the same way you would with a rolling suitcase. The intelligence on board would be able to tell you how many steps up or down, plus the location of hand rails.
The wheels on the device are not like the roller tip on a cane. On either side of the body of the unit, there are two wheels that are about the size of the back wheels on a tricycle. the wheels turn and brake like they would on a car.
Knowing where you are going
Firstly, great review - thanks very much for sharing.
Does this require that you know where you are going to use it? I mean, is it entirely dependent on you plugging in a destination and then being taken there? It reminds me a little of Michael J Fox in Back to the Future where he holds onto the back of a car whilst using his skateboard.
If I was just going out for a walk somewhere I know, or wanting to explore an area, would I be able to use it?
I think before I've been imagining that this sort of product is something you would use every time you leave the house and that my cane is just gathering dust at home. But maybe it makes sense that this solves a specific problem and maybe it makes sense that the cane is still useful for other situations.
Thanks for posting this
I enjoyed reading about your experience with the Glide; it sounds like it will be really fun and interesting to use. I'm going to the virtual Glide demo on Zoom tomorrow. I'm super excited about this. Since I made the $ 100 deposit about a month ago, I've started second-gussing myself, but after reading about your experience, I have more peace of mind and will probably go ahead with the preorder so that I can get the Glide at the discounted price.
wish at sight village
hi, quite frustrated they cannot attend sight village in the UK, I know it's a different country, but blind people in the UK will not get to see this without fawking out all the money before-hand.
after the pre-order ....
hi, It is also assumed that people just have $800 or more to hand just like that, for a device which they can't pay for over time.
what i've read.
Hi all, from this review and what i've read it sounds interesting, i've put the 100 pounds deposit down however i'm hesitant to put the full price down on a pre-order without getting to have a go first. From what the Website says you have a 60 day grace period that means you can get the whole lot back within 60 days no questions asked. From what the website says though you have to try it for at least 30 days before requesting the refund. I could be wrong on this but that's how it read to me on the site.
when ordering
The issue here is I believe that you'd have to pay the £800 and then have the 60 day grace period would not start until you have the device itself. so, you'd essentially have to pay it all and then try it when get it. just hope it's in the uk soon to try, a virtual demo day is on tomorrow, Monday, but of course virtual is not the same as having it in-hand. also, how could the guy program where he wanted to go if just wanted to walk around a room with it? wouldn't that just be in free explore mode?
If I know a route
So, say if i know a route, say from my church to home. I know it with my cane, that i turn out of the church drive, and it is straight up the road for 5 minutes, avoiding the drives lamposts etc. i then cross when the road becomes very narrow turn left on the upp-kerb etc. now, if i were using glide, wouldn't that be of no use since it doesn't know, in quotes, where I want to go? in other words, is Glide only useful on routes you don't know.
Highly unlikely
Not really likely that you won't be able to create routes. In the above route for example you will probably do the route with home at the start and church at the end as POIs. Then when coming home just say to glide take me home. The thing would be useless if they didn't build in a way to create your own routes etc.
I think we know the proposition, we all just need to decide
Is it true that we have to pay now and then next year, after it arrives, we can send it back for a complete refund after 30 days? If that is the case, then the questions is: can I afford to loan Glidance $900 for more than a year? If the anser is yes an you think it might work and you might want it, then go ahead.
I did this witht The Seleste glasses, they weren't any good, so I sent them back and got a full refund. You can't say fairer than that.
someting wierd is goign on when writing comments
The speech is goign all weird while I am typing. Unless I'm having a TEA, it must be sometig to do wiht NVDA.
writing/editing weirdness
I use JAWS, and am having the same issue. If I try to review the text I've written, it reads as almost complete nonsense, but when I post my comments, all seems to be well. No clue if this is a browser issue or what, but it's interesting that NVDA is doing the same thing. I changed some JAWS settings just to see what would happen, and I didn't notice any changes good or bad.
It's the same with me.
If I write something long on here, it breaks up what I'm saying into seperat words.
I've emailed the team about this but I don't think there's anything they can do, I think it's a firefox thing, I'd recommend emailing them too just to show them it's not just me.
Oh and of course, now I mention this, it doesn't do it at all.
Happening across the board I guess
Using Chrom with JAWS and it's happening here as well. Not always though, it's once in a while here.
the way I post things online
I have a habit of drafting my posts in Notepad before pasting them into the browser. I do this for all my online writing, including emails and Reddit comments. Then, I either proofread myself or use AI assistance, depending on the content. If I were using iOS, I'd likely use the Notes app instead. It's just a personal preference that's become a routine for me.