Braze Sentina Sensor System

• The Braze Sentina offers 180 degrees of robust horizontal coverage and 50 degrees of vertical coverage.
• An intuitive LED (light) display and control panel that indicates the location and proximity of obstacles.
• Integrated audio feedback, easily switched on and off at the push of a button.
• Capability to add up to three vibration modules (sold separately) to provide haptic feedback.
• Short and long range modes, with the ability to customize distance thresholds.
• Go-Pro style mounts that can be mounted on any wheelchair or scooter.
• The system is powered by a standard USB power source (e.g., USB hub on a powered wheelchair, power bank, etc). Power bank sold separately.
• Ability to add up to three Braze Echo Heads (purchased separately) to increase blind spot coverage.

For Dr. Viswanathan, a postdoctoral fellow in computer science at the University of Toronto and an AGE-WELL highly qualified personnel (HQP), the launch of the new system is a personal milestone. She has worked for over a decade on collision avoidance systems for wheelchairs.

“Anyone who uses a wheelchair can benefit from this system, which will be particularly useful for people with low peripheral vision and limited neck and upper body flexibility” she says. “One of our testers says he feels like he has eyes on the back of his head with this technology. He says that it’s ‘got his back.’

“And for people who are excluded from using powered wheelchairs, including some older adults with dementia, the system will widen access to mobility devices, giving new opportunities for independent mobility,” says Dr. Viswanathan, who co-founded Braze Mobility with Dr. Alex Mihailidis, a Toronto Rehab/University of Toronto scientist and scientific director at AGE-WELL.