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

[Dewey Bradley]

This is neat.
I just wonder how this would work out in the country, Were I'm from and were 
my stepdad still lives is about a mile from the paved road, out where cell 
phones don't work.
That would be nice to go home by my self, but going out in the woods has a 
hole new set of challenges, like potholes and animals.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: <nfb-announce at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2010 1:29 PM
Subject: [Blindtlk] Fwd: Article from Minneapolis Star-Tribune Science And 
Technology 2010 07 02



>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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>The NFB-NEWSLINE® Team.

                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920


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