Frederick Prete

It was a chance meeting with a praying mantis that changed the course of Frederick Prete’s life.It set him to wondering how a mantis’ visual system distinguishes complex objects (its next meal, for instance). That question morphed into a PhD dissertation in Biological Psychology at the University of Chicago.

Vision has a personal meaning to Frederick. He watched his father’s sight falter until he was completely blind at retirement. And as it turns out, Frederick’s own sight requires ongoing attention.

He’s directed his work as a scientist, researcher and inventor toward increasing mobility for children who are visually impaired.

Frederick has developed a system that signals when people or objects are near. His prototypes embed distance sensors in jackets which “see” in several directions. The wearer receives gentle vibrations when things move about him or her.

Each generation of jackets has benefited from increased computing power and miniaturization; which is both a blessing and a curse. Chips rapidly become obsolete and at times may require complex project redesigns.

The system is now being individualized — boys and girls have slightly different perceptual preferences when they’re young. Adding their parents’ voices to the prompts will soon follow.

Frederick is working toward “proximity jackets” that will eventually be affordable for all families

Like many theorists he combines crossover abilities. He spent years as a jewelry designer and is self-taught on all things computer thanks to the Internet. He has taught special-ed, high school and college students.

While Frederick is elated by his progress, he knows that years of lab work can lead scientists down a wrong path — restarts are common. For a man who loves nothing more than being told something is impossible, the challenge is a reward in itself.