[AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interestedandexcitednfbmember

Daniel Perry karate at centurylink.net
Thu Jun 7 02:02:41 UTC 2018


you know, I'm glad that I joined up with this list. Not just because I'm excited about the prospect of one day owning one of these fassinating new machines but also because I'm learning so much and getting so many good ideas from other blind people like myself who know more about what goes into these machines than I ever will.


From: Angela Daniel via AutonomousVehicles 
Sent: Wednesday, June 6, 2018 1:30 PM
To: autonomous Vehicles Discussion 
Cc: Angela Daniel 
Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interestedandexcitednfbmember


I totally share your enthusiasm. Can't wait to own my own car. Or be a part of a community car that provide service to my family. For sure autonomous vehicles will change everything. Policing, insurance, and no more need for parking lots because the cars will constantly be picking up or dropping off the next person. So happy to be a member of NFB who are on the forefront of accessibility issues regarding the blind. We are moving from a Transportation era, to a people moving era. 


Best regards
Angela


On Jun 6, 2018 12:52 PM, "Donald Winiecki via AutonomousVehicles" <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org> wrote:

  Absolutely yes!  Accessibility is essential across the spectrum. 



  _don





  On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 10:45 AM Ali via AutonomousVehicles <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org> wrote:

    Something that should be kept in mind is that the interface 
    should be able to be voice controlled by the blind person.

    Ali

     ----- Original Message -----
    From: Donald Winiecki via AutonomousVehicles 
    <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
    To: autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
    Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2018 10:25:24 -0600
    Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very 
    interestedandexcitednfbmember

    Yes. A blind individual could not address a situation visually.

    However, if the car were narrating things that it was 'seeing' 
    and how it
    was making decisions, the driver would have more information 
    about what is
    happening. This information might be somewhat analogous to what a 
    sighed
    driver would have -- sort of like what we get with a screen 
    reader for your
    computer.  In some circumstances, I can imagine a self-driving 
    car would
    require decisions to be made by the driver, and if the car was 
    continually
    updating the driver with relevant information he or she could 
    respond and
    command the car, rather than expecting that the car is making all 
    the
    decisions.  (I would expect that there would be settings that 
    allow the car
    to be more or less `chatty` in this regard. Some individuals 
    would want
    lots of information, while others would want a functional minimum 
    of
    information from the car.

    For example, if you are driving to work in the morning and 
    encounter heavy
    traffic or a stoppage, the car could tell you this and ask for 
    your
    decision on whether to continue the same route, or offer one of 
    several
    alternative routes.  You would have to tell the car what to do.

    Similarly, in the event of any accident of any sort, the car 
    would have to
    be able to tell the driver what has happened and advise the 
    driver on
    options, as well as automatically contacting relevant 
    authorities.

    What I am getting at, is the idea that no matter who is 
    `driving,` the
    human will still have to be in the loop somehow, and to be a 
    responsible
    agent in some circumstances.  So far this has not been emphasized 
    in the
    development of autonomous vehicles, but I will say that I expect 
    this to
    become an important feature in the future.

    Designing an interface that permits these things will absolutely 
    require
    active participation from drivers who are blind or 
    visually-impaired.

    _don
    ​
    ​
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Don Winiecki, Ed.D., Ph.D.
    *Professor of Ethics & Morality in Professional Practice*
    Boise State University, College of Engineering
    E-mail: dwiniecki at boisestate.edu
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~d​



    On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 10:02 AM Ali via AutonomousVehicles <
    autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org> wrote:

     If the systems were ever to require the driver to take control,
     this would be impossible for a blind person to safely do.

     Ali

      ----- Original Message -----
     From: Donald Winiecki via AutonomousVehicles
     <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
     To: autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
     Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2018 08:25:44 -0600
     Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested
     andexcitednfbmember

     As a faculty member in a College of Engineering, my primary
     responsibilities are in the areas of ethics and morality in
     engineering.
     Autonomous vehicles are a principal interest of mine.

     All of the crashes of autonomous vehicles that have been
     publicized, have
     been as a result of failures not of single systems, but in the
     intersection
     of systems in the vehicles. In the case of the Uber crash in
     Arizona that
     killed a cyclist/pedestrian, the LIDAR (laser radar) 'saw' the
     person early
     enough to brake and to steer around her.  However, the system
     that 'makes
     sense of' what the LIDAR detects, was switched to a mode that
     delayed such
     a reaction -- it was in a very conservative mode where the car's
     systems
     would have had to be closer to 100% certain of what was being
     detected by
     the LIDAR before automatically responding.

     In the TESLA crashes, early analysis of the cars' black-boxes
     indicates
     that systems were attempting to alert the drivers to take 
    control
     because
     the cars' systems were detecting situations that they were not
     designed to
     handle. In these cases, the handoff of control from car to human
     driver was
     missed.

     Looking outside the cars and their technology, Arizona has
     established the
     most lax regulation on testing of autonomous vehicles, of any
     state that
     allows such testing. It was as a side-effect of this lax
     regulation that
     Uber was able to get away with only one safety-driver in the
     vehicle.
     Other states that allow testing of autonomous vehicles on public
     roadways
     require two safety-drivers (one behind the wheel ready to take
     control, and
     one who monitors the car's systems in real time). Uber's history
     of
     business practices that take large risks may have been a
     contributing
     factor somehow.

     In the cases of Tesla crashes, we know that marketing 
    information
     has
     heavily hyped what Tesla calls its 'auto pilot' autonomous
     driving mode.
     There have even been television commercials with Elon Musk
     driving/riding a
     car with his hands out the window, yelling and boasting of its
     autonomous
     capabilities. Compare this with the safety information that 
    comes
     with the
     cars that cautions drivers to not treat 'auto pilot' as a safe
     autonomous
     mode.

     A lot of what we are seeing with autonomous vehicles has to do
     with the
     fact that the companies and consumers are not necessarily
     prepared to deal
     with the intersection of so many technical and social systems
     that we are
     suddenly faced with.  In fact, no engineering innovation is ever
     'only
     technical'. Every engineering innovation pushes small or large
     impacts on
     us in terms of how we know and behave in the world.  Those who
     adapt to the
     new limits of technologies are able to benefit, but those who do
     not
     understand those limits will run the risk of the failure of 
    these
     multiple
     systems.

     There is absolutely no question in my mind that successful
     development in
     the technologies of autonomous vehicles will occur.  However,
     successful
     social adaptation may not be so clearly possible for everyone.
     This is why
     every stakeholder group -- including and perhaps especially 
    those
     with
     visual impairments that prevent them from getting a driver's
     license
     currently -- has to be active in the latter.  This listserv is a
     touchpoint
     for all of us who are stakeholders in this particular way.  Your
     involvement locally, in your State policy-making branches, and
     even more
     broadly, is very needed!

     _don



     On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 7:50 AM Ali via AutonomousVehicles <
     autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org> wrote:

      Probably just because I'm extremely afraid of accidents LOL.

       ----- Original Message -----
      From: Daniel Perry via AutonomousVehicles
      <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
      To: "autonomous Vehicles Discussion"
      <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
      Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2018 08:18:18 -0400
      Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested
      and excitednfbmember

      me too, but I've been told not to wurry since everyone seems to
      be behind
      them. I think the crashes are all just a part of the process
      morbid as that
      sounds.

      --------------------------------------------------
      From: "Ali via AutonomousVehicles"
     <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
      Sent: Tuesday, June 5, 2018 11:13 PM
      To: "autonomous Vehicles Discussion"
      <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
      Cc: "Ali" <aliherky at gmail.com
      Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested
      and excited
      nfbmember

       I have high hopes for the future, but right now am too worried
      about the
       multiple crashes that have been had.

       Ali

       ----- Original Message -----
       From: Daniel Perry via AutonomousVehicles
      <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
       To: <autonomousvehicles at nfbnet.org
       Date sent: Tue, 5 Jun 2018 14:59:30 -0400
       Subject: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested and
      excited
       nfbmember

       Hello everyone, my name is Daniel Perry and I found this list
      and
       immediately signed up because I'm extremely excited about the
      prospect of
       autonomous vehicles being a reality as well as we the totally
      blind being
       able to use them. I can't wait to own one as soon as they're
      afordable
       enough for your average blind person to purchase and own. I'll
      be very
       excited to see how Waymo progresses after its launch later on
      this year.
       What's the latest in our efforts to make these vehicles
      accessible to the
       blind? have a wonderful day and I look forward to hearing from
      you soon.

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