[Blindtlk] Fwd: Article from Minneapolis Star-Tribune Science And Technology 2010 07 02

[David Andrews]

>From: NFB-NEWSLINE Online <nfbnewsline at nfb.org>
>To: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
>Subject: Article from Minneapolis Star-Tribune 
>Science And Technology 2010 07 02
>Date: Sun,
>   4 Jul 2010 00:51:42 -0400 (EDT)
>
>That driver must be blind! Someday he may be; 
>group to show high-tech car the blind can 
>drive     By KEN THOMAS ,  Associated 
>Press         WASHINGTON - Could a blind person 
>drive a car? Researchers are trying to make that 
>far-fetched notion a reality. The National 
>Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan 
>to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year 
>equipped with technology that helps a blind 
>person drive a car independently. The 
>technology, called "nonvisual interfaces," uses 
>sensors to let a blind driver maneuver a car 
>based on information transmitted to him about 
>his surroundings: whether another car or object 
>is nearby, in front of him or in a neighboring 
>lane. Advocates for the blind consider it a 
>"moon shot," a goal similar to President John F. 
>Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon. For 
>many blind people, driving a car long has been 
>considered impossible. But researchers hope the 
>project could revolutionize mobility and 
>challenge long-held assumptions about 
>limitations. We're exploring areas that have 
>previously been regarded as unexplorable," said 
>Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National 
>Federation of the Blind. We're moving away from 
>the theory that blindness ends the capacity of 
>human beings to make contributions to society. 
>The Baltimore-based organization was announcing 
>its plans for the vehicle demonstration at a 
>news conference Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla. 
>Maurer first talked about building an automobile 
>that the blind could drive about a decade ago 
>when he launched the organization's research 
>institute. Some people thought I was crazy and 
>they thought, 'Why do you want us to raise money 
>for something that can't be done? Others thought 
>it was a great idea," Maurer said. Some people 
>were incredulous. Others thought the idea was 
>incredible. The vehicle has its roots in 
>Virginia Tech's 2007 entry into the DARPA Grand 
>Challenge, a competition for driverless vehicles 
>funded by the Defense Department's research arm. 
>The university's team won third place for a 
>self-driving vehicle that used sensors to 
>perceive traffic, avoid crashing into other cars 
>and objects and run like any other vehicle. 
>Following their success, Virginia Tech's team 
>responded to a challenge from the National 
>Federation of the Blind to help build a car that 
>could be driven by a blind person. Virginia Tech 
>first created a dune buggy as part of a 
>feasibility study that used sensor lasers and 
>cameras to act as the eyes of the vehicle. A 
>vibrating vest was used to direct the driver to 
>speed up, slow down or make turns. The blind 
>organization was impressed by the results and 
>urged the researchers to keep pushing. The 
>results will be demonstrated next January on a 
>modified Ford Escape sport utility vehicle at 
>the Daytona International Speedway before the 
>Rolex 24 race. The latest vehicle will use 
>nonvisual interfaces to help a blind driver 
>operate the car. One interface, called 
>DriveGrip, uses gloves with vibrating motors on 
>areas that cover the knuckles. The vibrations 
>signal to the driver when and where to turn. 
>Another interface, called AirPix, is a tablet 
>about half the size of a sheet of paper with 
>multiple air holes, almost like those found on 
>an air hockey game. Compressed air coming out of 
>the device helps inform the driver of his or her 
>surroundings, essentially creating a map of the 
>objects around a vehicle. It would show whether 
>there's another vehicle in a nearby lane or an 
>obstruction in the road. A blind person, who has 
>not yet been chosen, will drive the vehicle on a 
>course near the famed Daytona race track and 
>attempt to simulate a typical driving 
>experience. Dr. Dennis Hong, a mechanical 
>engineering professor at Virginia Tech who leads 
>the research, said the technology could someday 
>help a blind driver operate a vehicle but could 
>also be used on conventional vehicles to make 
>them safer or on other applications. Advocates 
>for the blind say it will take time before 
>society accepts the potential of blind drivers 
>and that the safety of the technology will need 
>to be proven through years of testing. But more 
>than anything, they say it's part of a broader 
>mission to change the way people perceive the 
>blind. Mark Riccobono, executive director of the 
>NFB's Jernigan Institute, said when he walks 
>down the street with his 3-year-old son, many 
>people might think he, as a blind person, is 
>being guided by his son. The idea that a 
>3-year-old takes care of me stems from what they 
>think about blindness," Riccobono said. That 
>will change when people see that we can do 
>something that they thought was 
>impossible."   ___   Online:   National 
>Federation of the 
>Blind:  http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp     © 
>2010 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.               .
>
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                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
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