I keep walking into branches.
So I'm building a hat that taps me first.

Hi, I'm Josiah. I have retinitis pigmentosa, which gives me tunnel vision — to hike safely I have to watch my feet, which means I never see the branch, sign, or overhang at head height until it finds me. The Hat Project is my attempt to fix that: a cap with a small distance sensor on the brim that gives a quiet vibration, faster as an obstacle gets closer. Parking-sensor logic, for your head.

Status: Prototype 1 — parts ordered, July 2026

Why this project exists

Canes and guide dogs are brilliant at ground level and useless above the shoulders — and it turns out nothing affordable on the market covers head height anymore. The devices that tried (BuzzClip, Sunu Band) are discontinued, and the survivors cost $850 to €9,999. Every one that failed, failed the same way: too many false alarms, until people stopped trusting it. That finding shapes everything here — the research section has the full story.

How it works (the plan)

A €9 distance sensor sits on the cap brim, pointing forward and slightly up. When it detects something in your path, a small motor against the sweatband pulses — slow when the obstacle is far, rapid when it's close. Silent, discreet, no phone, no app, no subscription. The controller and battery live in a pocket. Total cost of the first prototype: about €87 in parts.

Built in public, no pressure

Everything gets documented here as it happens: the research, the decisions (and the reversals), the test logs, the failures. This is a fun side project, not a startup — updates come when there's something worth saying. If any of it is useful to you, or you'd like to help, I'd love to hear from you.

Latest from the blog

• 10 July 2026 Why I'm building a hat that taps me on the head

  Tunnel vision means I watch my feet while hiking — so branches, signs and overhangs meet my forehead first. Here's the plan to fix that, and why it's a hat.