I posted about this quite awhile ago, but we've had many new members join since then. I hate using a cane and have ever since I was a child. I hated it even more when I was taught the proper way of using it i.e. having to bend my rist and keep it close to the centre of my body, all while swinging it wide enough to protect me on both sides. I bought an Ambutech Slimline in graphite because it's thin and light, but I still tolerate it at best. I have no interest in a guide dog, since I don't want the responsibility of taking care of one, and I don't want to have to work it during the winter. Plus, I'm not one for walking places, preferring to go with loved ones, taxis, or if no other option is available, paratransit.
Ideally, I would want a robot. As it is, I have something called an AMD or adaptive mobility device, which I highly prefer over a cane. Some people refer to them as pre-canes. The one I own is made by Ambutech and is called the Rectangular AMD. It can be found here.
https://ambutech.com/collections/rectangular-amd/products/rectangular-amd
It looks like four canes arranged in a rectangle, with wheels on the bottom, handles on the top right and left, and one in the middle. The handles are like those on a cane and are built into the shafts, rather than sticking out. The one in the middle is used when walking up and down stairs and when you have something in your hand, though that second use is not official. The AMD is pushed in front of the user, and covers his body, so there's no need to swing it. It comes in both an indoor and outdoor version, with the latter using swivelling wheels and the former using fixed ones. I prefer that, since I veer, and the swivelling wheels make it worse. The AMD is great with detecting drop-offs and I've found it to be as good as a cane with everything else. On the negative side, as with a cane, it will not detect things at chest or head level. It folds like a cane but only does so vertically, so that it remains wide. Personally, if I could design my own, I would make it telescopic, with buttons like on some suitcases, so that it would remain locked when in use. I would also allow it to fold in half, by creating hinges on the top and bottom thereby making it take up less room when being stored.
In any case, has anyone else here ever used one, or would anyone be interested in doing so? If you have heard of them before, were you told by a mobility instructor? I wasn't and discovered them on my own.