Technology
Two systems, designed so one does not depend on the other.
The sensing layer is designed to be simple and self-contained, and to keep working when the parts around it do not.
The sensing layer
Senses the space
A depth sensor reads the area in front of the wearer many times a second, building a picture of what is near and what is open — including objects at head and torso height that a cane cannot reach.
Conveys it through touch
Distance and direction are encoded as low-frequency vibration through bone-conduction transducers resting on the temples. The cue sits below speech and below music, and is delivered through touch rather than sound, so it is designed not to mask conversation, traffic or the other sounds people navigate by.
This layer is designed to run entirely on the device itself, without a network connection and without needing the phone to be awake or present.
The description layer
A camera and on-device artificial intelligence can describe a scene, recognise objects, and help locate belongings — on request, when the wearer asks for it.
This layer is additive by design. The sensing layer does not depend on it, so if the description layer is switched off or unavailable, the sensing layer is intended to continue operating independently.
Private by default. The sensing layer runs on the device, and its data never leaves the glasses. The description layer operates only on explicit request, never continuously and never in the background.
Designed to sit alongside the cane, not replace it
The cane and the guide dog are proven mobility tools with decades of training practice behind them. Spatii is designed to add a layer of spatial awareness on top of them — a supplementary aid, used with the primary aid, never instead of it.
We are deliberate about this language because we are deliberate about the engineering behind it. A device that invites over-reliance is a device designed badly.