University of
University of
University of
Salford
Cambridge
Nottingham
Australia
Physics
Physics
Psychology
BSc
PhD
PhD
Warning:
Visitors to this page who are not from an academic background might think that this catalogue of qualifications and achievements indicates some sort of genius.
Far from it, please do not be put off from contacting me.
Were I to list my failures and the things at which I am hopeless, the list would be far far longer!
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University of |
University of |
University of |
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Salford |
Cambridge |
Nottingham |
Australia |
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Physics |
Physics |
Psychology |
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BSc |
PhD |
PhD |
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Born in the UK in 1940 Tony was awarded a BSc in Physics with First Class Honours from theUniversity of Salford . Research on the propagation of cracks through brittle solids at the Cavendish Physics Laboratory led to a PhD from the University of Cambridge . While at Cambridge Tony was attached to Corpus Christi College. After a period in industry with the Aluminium Company of Canada, Tony returned to University joining the Psychology Department at the University of Nottingham as a Research Fellow in the Blind Mobility Research Unit. (Tony had suffered bi-lateral detached retinae while at Cambridge. After seven unsuccesful operations in Cambridge an eighth was performed at Moorfields by the renowned Lorimer Fison and the sight of one eye was restored).
During the seventeen years spent at Nottingham, Tony achieved a detailed understanding of the informational needs of the blind pedestrian. He was able to embody much of this understanding in a series of novel electronic mobility guidance devices culminating in the invention of theSonic Pathfinder - the first guidance device for the vision impaired to make use of the techniques of artificial intelligence. His inventiveness expressed itself in a number of other ways: hearing aids for the deaf/blind, textured paving slabs, audible and tactile displays for pedestrian crossings, speech synthesized information displays (eg the Talking Bus Stop). During the period spent at Nottingham Tony obtained a second PhD; this time in Psychology.
Tony has spent some time as a Visiting Research Fellow at:The Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute , San Francisco , the University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo and the British Telecom Research Laboratories , Martlesham. Also as a Research Associate at the Centre for Visual Sciences at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Tony has published some forty scientific papers and holds a number of UK patents.
In 1987 Tony was invited to move to Australia and take up the newly created post of Manager, Research and Development with the Royal Guide Dogs Associations of Australia (RGDAA).
In 1995 Tony left RGDAA and formed his own business,Perceptual Alternatives. He continues to maintain formal academic relationships with a number of University departments having been an Associate of the Photonics Red Centre , a Research Associate of the Department of Optometry at the University of Melbourne and a part time lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences at LaTrobe University. In addition to his work on disability Tony has undertaken regular consultative assignments for industry specializing in: man/machine interface problems, remote sensing and the safe transportation of volatile substances.
Sometimes projects can be a lot of fun. Recently Tony has worked with a young inventor, Steve Steer, to develop Tackle Tracka: the world's first fishing rod computer.
When required to declare his occupation, Tony describes himself as a 'Gentleman Scientist'. He is a keen cyclist, bushwalker and windsurfer. As a partially sighted bird watcher he claims to see more UFOs in a day than most people see in a lifetime. He is a reader of New Scientist and a fully paid up member of the Australian Skeptics - an organisation dedicated to investigating pseudo-science and the paranormal from a responsible scientific viewpoint.A Consequentialist, Tony serves on the Human Research & Ethics Committee at the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital - a part of the University of Melbourne.
Tony may be contacted by email:Tony.Heyes@physics.org
Tony's web page is named after his travel aid for the blind ie.