01 March 2005

International, a leader in technology for the blind and visually impaired, recently acquired Canadian-based VisuAide. The merged entity, known as the HumanWare Group, will have 200 employees in five countries, and markets for its products in more than thirty countries.

Pulse Data International’s CEO, Dr Russell Smith, will head the new organization. Dr Smith is confident of a positive growth for HumanWare. “Over the past few years, both Pulse Data and VisuAide have gained impressive reputations for providing outstanding products that enable visually impaired people to achieve equality of access to information. We strongly believe that unifying the two organisations will accelerate the achievement of the companies’ common vision and goals,” says Dr Smith.

HumanWare’s products include:

• the SmartView video magnifier and myReader – the worlds first low vision auto-reader

• the Victor Reader family of digita l talking book players

• the BrailleNote – the gold standard in the note taker market for the blind and visually impaired. HumanWare expects this market to expand with the introduction of Maestro.

• the Trekker and BrailleNote GPS. HumanWare produces the world’s only commercialized GPS based orientation solutions for the blind.

Pulse Data and VisuAide have shared a similar research and development philosophy and have invested heavily in ongoing product development. HumanWare will retain the existing R&D operations in both New Zealand and Canada.

Pulse Data has grown exponentially since its inception in 1988. Revenue has increased threefold in that time, and ninety-six per cent of its products are exported from its New Zealand base.

In 2004, the company was New Zealand’s Information and Communications Technology Exporter of the Year. Pulse Data also won Export Awards in 2002 and 2003.

For more information:
www.pulsedata.com