Asked, and answered honestly.

The device

What is it, in one paragraph?

A pair of glasses that senses the space in front of the wearer and conveys the distance and direction of obstacles as gentle, felt vibration through small pads resting at the temples. Because the information arrives through touch, hearing stays free for the sounds people who are blind or have low vision actually navigate by. The full picture is on the technology page, including the real prototype.

Does it replace the white cane or a guide dog?

No, and it is not designed to. It is a supplementary spatial-awareness aid, built to be used together with the cane or guide dog — never instead of either. We hold this line deliberately: a device that invites over-reliance is a device designed badly.

What does it not do?

It does not restore, improve or treat vision in any way. It is not a medical treatment. It does not replace mobility training, and it has not yet been through the structured, ethics-approved testing that would let us make claims about how well it performs — that study is planned, and we will publish what it finds, including anything it fails to show. A fuller plain-language list of limitations is being prepared and will live on this page.

Is there a camera on it? Where do the images go?

The sensing layer that detects obstacles is a depth sensor, not a camera, and it runs entirely on the device — that data never leaves the glasses. There is a separate, optional camera used only when the wearer explicitly asks for a description of a scene — never continuously, and never in the background. We are preparing a precise plain-language statement of exactly what happens to a captured image and will publish it on the privacy page.

Getting one

Can I buy one? When will it be available?

Not yet, and we won't pretend otherwise. The device is in active development and is not available for supply; nothing on this site is an offer to sell. There is deliberately no waiting list and no pre-order — taking names before development, testing and the applicable regulatory steps are complete would be promising something we cannot yet promise. When there is real availability information, it will be published here and sent to the update list first.

How much will it cost?

We can't state a price for a device that isn't available for supply — and we'd rather say that than invent a number. What we can say: it is being designed and priced for established assistive-technology funding pathways in Australia, so that the people who need it are not expected to pay out of pocket for it. Detail will be published when it can be real.

Will it help someone with my condition — or my child's?

This is the question we get most from family members, and it deserves the most careful answer: we don't know yet, and anyone who tells you otherwise about a development-stage device is selling you something. It is designed for spatial awareness — knowing that something is there, roughly where, and how close — which is one specific piece of a much larger picture. It does not bring sight back. Whether it genuinely helps, for which conditions, in which situations, is exactly what the planned structured study is designed to measure. If you tell us about your situation in the box below, we will give you an honest individual answer — including "probably not for this".

Taking part

Can I try it, test it, or take part in the study?

We keep a list of people interested in taking part in future structured studies — in Brisbane or remotely — and in giving feedback as development continues. People with lived experience of sight loss shape this product; that is not a courtesy, it is the method. Tell us in the box below (or by email) and we will be in touch when participation opens. No commitment, and one word removes you from the list.

Who is behind this?

Spatii Pty Ltd, a Brisbane company founded by an engineer whose sister has retinitis pigmentosa — the product exists because of her. The whole story, including the founder's own experience of losing and regaining sight, is on our story. An international patent application is filed (PCT/AU2026/050792).

What does “Spatii” mean?

It is Latin. Spatium means space — room, distance, the gap between things. Spatii is the genitive: of space. The name is meant literally: the device conveys where something is and how far away, as gentle felt vibration, for people who are blind or have low vision. It is a supplementary spatial-awareness aid, used with the cane or guide dog, never instead of it.

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Every question is read by us — not a support system. If you leave an email address we reply to you directly; either way, questions that would help other people get answered on this page.

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A question about your own or a family member's sight is health information — so this stays first-party: stored by us alone, never published with anything that could identify you, used only to answer, and deleted on request. See our privacy policy.