Wendy’s dedication and resourcefulness never cease to amaze! Upon learning about local inventor David Holmes from Waterford, who is developing technology to replicate vision with a camera, Wendy immediately tracked him down. What followed was serendipitous! She invited David to speak at our Macular Degeneration Support Group, where he shared his ideas and sought input from our members on the challenges they face when navigating, especially outdoors.

David discussed his innovative work, including an app designed to help the visually impaired navigate more effectively, as well as technology that uses motion detectors, cameras, and sonar—similar to echolocation—to identify obstacles. Our members raised important questions, such as how to navigate in snowy conditions, which provided David with valuable feedback for his work. Everyone is eager to hear more from him during his next visit.

David’s ultimate goal is to develop a system that can autonomously assess distances to objects in complex and ever-changing environments. This involves adjusting for varying light conditions, ground clutter (including snow), and atmospheric interference such as fog, by scaling a photograph from limited reference points to offer a broader perspective.