Informational Article on Laser Canes

Subject: Laser canes From the New York Times FYI brunhilde COUNTERING THE DARKNESS By CLAIRE FURIA SMITH Canes are a staple for the blind, but traditional ones may not find tree branches and other obstacles ahead - or other sudden dangers, like the drop-off from a subway platform. Nasir A. Ali is out to change that. He has spent the last four decades working on a cane that uses three laser beams to detect such hazards.

Called the LaserCane, it is made of aluminum and emits various audio tones that signal information about the path up to 12 feet ahead. "When you're walking down the street, it tells you there's an opening between people," said Mr. Ali, who is 59. He is president and founder of Nurion-Raycal, a two-person company in Paoli, Pa, which makes the LaserCane - priced at $2,990. It also makes two other devices that use lasers to guide the blind: the Pathfinder, which attaches to wheelchairs, sells for $4,500; and the Polaron, which hangs around a person's neck, sells for $990.

Mr. Ali helped design and develop the original version of the cane in the 1960's while working for a Pennsylvania company that the Veterans Administration had asked to invent tools to assist blind veterans of the Korean War.

In 1970, Mr. Ali, an Iraqi immigrant, became the lead developer of the cane, which he later helped convert to laser technology from infrared.

In 1978, he founded his own company to continue work on the project. Since then, Mr. Ali has worked to make the cane smaller, lighter and less expensive to manufacture.

In 1998, Mr. Ali received a letter from the State of Pennsylvania that offered help to small businesses at the time when Mr. Ali was still making LaserCanes one at a time. He received a $149,700 grant through the state-financed Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which he used to lay the groundwork for mass production.

PPI/Time Zero in Paterson, N.J., recently began making the canes, which have always had a waiting list. Mr. Ali also received marketing assistance from the state group. Only 400 LaserCanes have been sold to date, but a Greek company is ironing out the details of a deal to import the canes. A few guide-dog agencies have placed orders, and the cane is on the Web sites of various associations for the blind.

From the beginning, stories of how the LaserCane has changed people's lives have inspired Mr. Ali, who recalled that one of his proudest moments was in 1984 at a restaurant with his family. "My son pointed to a woman who walked in with a LaserCane and bought her food," Mr. Ali said. "My son was so excited. He was just 4 years old."

Updated on ... November 29 2006