The road so far:

We've got a very stable HW/SW prototype! (check the github for the latest files).

Pathfinder has been validated in a bunch of different situations (outdoors, public environments, around complex furniture, etc.)

The board can be built for under $25 in small volumes, so we've also achieved our accessibility goals.

(a lot of improvements are under the hood. it takes quite a bit to reach a "milestone!")

So what's next?

Haptics has become a rather active space in the last few months - Apple's 3D/Force Touch has attracted a lot of attention, and shows what I believe to be the future of haptics. I've been playing with (and dissecting) their hardware, and I've got a whole lot of hints to incorporate into Pathfinder. Essentially, we're going to work with more advanced haptic actuators, and add "sub-pulses" into each traditional pulse, adding a lot of nuance and detail to the feedback that's also more intuitive - meaning faster training and a better UX.

Gesture support is coming soon! I've reworked the accelerometer handling code, so we can now detect patterns over time and respond accordingly.

Getting a proper enclosure to work with will better define the ways we can interact with the user - from ergonomics to feedback. Look out for that soon!