In this interview, Ambutech president Gord Hudek discusses a variety of canes, holsters and other accessories available from Ambutech. He also introduces the new disk tip, which allows for safe and comfortable cane travel in rough terrain. You can find more information about this and other products by visiting the Ambutech web site or by calling (800) 561-3340.
Find more great coverage like this on our audio page, and check out our new weekly podcast for news and features about technology and beyond. Blind Bargains audio coverage of CSUN 2015 is generously sponsored by the American Foundation for the Blind. Enjoy our Podcasts? You can help us out by taking this very short survey.
Transcript
We strive to provide an accurate transcription, though errors may occur.
Hide transcriptTranscribed by Kayde Rieken
Welcome to BlindBargains.com coverage of CSUN 2015 — the biggest names, provocative interviews, and wall-to-wall exhibit hall coverage — brought to you by the American Foundation for the Blind.
For the latest technology news and accessibility information on cell phones, mainstream and access technology, personal medical devices, office equipment, digital audio players, and web-based and app technologies, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's monthly technology magazine: www.afb.org/AW.
Now, here's Joe Steinkamp.
Joe Steinkamp: CSUN 30 — a wonderful time. It feels so mature, and it passed the drinking age. And — you know, drinking — I hear they do that a lot in Canada. And I thought, Who better to tell me about that than Gord Hudek over at Ambutech? And you know what? Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about some canes. How about that instead?
Gord Hudek: Good afternoon, Joe. Thanks for coming by the booth.
JS: Pleasure. Pleasure. Full disclosure — I am holding an Ambutech cane in my left hand, and I have a holster on my right leg. So audience members, I'm about to speak to someone knowing full well of his products.
GH: And that's a cane that we used to call our premium cane.
JS: Uh-huh.
GH: We're still calling it that, but we used to have a premium price for it.
JS: That's true.
GH: And the reason it was called a premium cane is, it has a flared joint that Joe likes to call the bell-bottom joint.
JS: That's true.
GH: And what that joint does — it's anodized aluminum. It's extremely strong. It — a very tight-fitting joint, and yet it does not bind or stick at all.
JS: Absolutely.
GH: So what we've done with that joint is, we've managed to get the price point down on it by ordering much higher quantities, and we put that on all of our canes.
JS: Ooooooohh.
GH: So all Ambutech canes now are premium canes.
JS: That is fantastic.
GH: That includes our aluminum cane.
JS: Okay.
GH: So — you know, there were, in the problem — in the past, problems with that aluminum joint sticking —
JS: Yeah.
GH: — and that kind of thing. Doesn't happen anymore. This is brand new. We're already shipping the — the premium joint on the graphite cane. April 1, we're starting to ship it on the aluminum cane.
JS: Cool. But you still have all the customization that we've come to know — the colors, the grips —
GH: We still have the colors. We still have the — the three kinds of grips. We have the highlight colors; we have the ten cane shaft colors; and there's one new thing.
JS: Uh-huh.
GH: It's actually a tip designed by a — an O&M —
JS: Uh-huh.
GH: — in North Dakota.
JS: Oh.
GH: And it's called a disk tip.
JS: Okay. This —
GH: I'm going to let Joe describe it.
JS: Oh, no. Oh, no. (Laughs) Wow. All right. So think of a flying saucer, right, kind of thing.
GH: About six inches in diameter.
JS: Bigger than your average hockey puck. You would be able to tell me about that, too, wouldn't you?
GH: (Laughs) Yes, I could.
JS: Canucks fan, probably? Yeah?
GH: Go Jets.
JS: Oh, there we go. Okay. I knew I'd get it out of him. It is very lightweight. I was thinking that — it is about the diameter of a pot pie, to be honest.
GH: Yeah.
JS: And — well, I had to put it in real-world terms, so yeah, it's about a pot pie width, and it is very lightweight. It is on the bottom, kind of rounded and tapered, just like you would have on a mushroom tip; and then, it's very flat on the top where it would actually connect to the cane. And the weight of it is actually — I have to balance both canes in one arm — it feels like using a Swiffer. Okay. I'm going to clean the floor as I'm — no, honestly, it is very interesting that it gives some stability. And when you're tapping, it will be very flat. You're not going to hear it very much on the carpet; but on a — a floor that would have linoleum or parquet or is a tile floor, that would make a very resounding sound for echolocation.
GH: And it's really designed for constant contact. That was the —
JS: Right.
GH: — the method he designed it for.
JS: Okay.
GH: And it's — he — he says it's for really rough terrain.
JS: Or snow.
GH: And being from Canada, we found it works really well in snow.
JS: Uh-huh. I jumped ahead there.
GH: So —
JS: Yeah, snow, gravel —
GH: He has some videos, actually, where he shows people using it in a plowed field.
JS: Uh-huh.
GH: And when he showed it to me, the first thing I thought of was snow.
JS: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And because of the flatness — I mean, it's different than, say, using a roller tip. That's also constant contact, but you get ups and downs. You can get it caught in crevices and stuff.
GH: Yep.
JS: With that, if you had something like ruts in a field — like, you were going out, there was trailer —
GH: Yep.
JS: — ruts in a field, you'd be able to be okay with that and still have enough feeling while tapping — you don't lose anything. Because I think some people might think that it might be defused. Like, you've kind of widened out the feeling of it, and —
GH: Yep.
JS: — and it doesn't feel as direct as, say, a straight cane tip or a mushroom.
GH: And we actually — we really worked on getting the exact right angle on the bottom of this.
JS: Yeah.
GH: So we — we've had about eight different prototypes with eight different angles.
JS: That is crazy.
GH: So this is the one that seems to work the best.
JS: Huh. Okay. So this is an option that's now available and can be added?
GH: Actually, this is prototype.
JS: Okay.
GH: We brought it to the show to get people's feedback.
JS: To get feedback. Okay.
GH: But we will be going into production. We're waiting for one final set of prototypes, and there's a couple of issues with it that we — we didn't like.
JS: Right.
GH: Actually — you know, there's a hole in it.
JS: Balance and weight and — and all of that — that — it's not an easy thing to invent a new tip, so that is fascinating.
GH: Nope. And his name is Paul Olsen. He's with the North Dakota School for the Blind.
JS: Right. Okay.
GH: And so the credit goes to him.
JS: That is fantastic. And are you still looking into different grips? We'd talked about that in the past, and —
GH: We're always open to new ideas. You know us. (Laughs)
JS: (Laughs) That's why I come by every year, if not sooner.
GH: Our production manager says, "The thing about Gord is, everything has to change."
JS: Yeah, that's true. That is so true. Well, Gord, I appreciate that. And, as always, where can people find you on that new website? That — that new website?
GH: We're — we actually are launching a new website April 1.
JS: Uh-huh.
GH: But it's still www.ambutech.com.
JS: And you can follow him on Twitter and —
GH: Facebook.
JS: Uh-huh.
GH: And our direct line is 1-800-561-3340.
JS: Excellent. And, as I said before, I am a user of Ambutech canes — big fan. Gord, as always, good to see you, my friend.
GH: Thank you, Joe.
JS: For Blind Bargains, it's Joe Steinkamp here in sunny California. Stay tuned for more. And hey, if you like what you hear, make sure you check out our weekly podcast, available on this very feed: BlindBargains.com.
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
