[Blindtlk] A Cane for the Blind Improves Social Interactions.

[Constance Canode]

Dave, thanks so much for the info.  Sure hope it 
comes soon.  Just knowing it made my day.  I have 
been so busy that I haven't had much time for me 
lately.  I have several friends all over the 
country that I send huge packages of baked goods 
to each Christmas and it seems that my list keeps 
growing every year.  Again, thanks for the info 
and I hope that you have a beautiful Christmas 
filled with way too much good food and surrounded 
by the people you love.  Merry Christmas.

Connie
At 03:23 PM 12/4/2011, you wrote:
>Connie,  there are several entities working on 
>indoor navigation -- and not necessarily for the 
>blind.  One is Google, and there are 
>others.  Another is Nokia.  People are 
>interested in maps of malls etc., so we are 
>likely to see more development in this area.
>
>Dave
>
>At 06:23 PM 12/2/2011, you wrote:
>>I agree with you Gloria.  However, I do wish 
>>somebody could come up with something that 
>>would do GPS indoor at strange malls or places 
>>a person is not familiar with.  I know it is 
>>technologically impossible because of the 
>>satellites, but I would love to be able to find 
>>the exit at the Mall of America without my husband or asking directions.
>>
>>Connie Canode
>>At 10:48 AM 12/2/2011, you wrote:
>>>I like the way my plain white cane works. It 
>>>might be well and good, but what is wrong with 
>>>paying attention to what the plain white cane 
>>>is telling you when traveling. Just my 
>>>opinion. Gloria Whipple Corresponding 
>>>Secretary Inland Empire chapter nfb of WA 
>>>-----Original Message----- From: 
>>>blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
>>>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
>>>Of Nickie Pearl Sent: Friday, December 02, 
>>>2011 05:02 To: Blind Talk Mailing List 
>>>Subject: [Blindtlk] A Cane for the Blind 
>>>Improves Social Interactions. I think this is 
>>>an interesting idea! A Cane For The Blind 
>>>Improves Social Interactions, Sunday Strolls. 
>>>As scientists make slow and steady progress on 
>>>sensors to help the blind see and move, this 
>>>cane helps them say hi to friends. While the 
>>>National Federation for the Blind is pushing 
>>>to build an auto interface that lets visually 
>>>impaired people drive safely and autonomously, 
>>>design student Selene Chew has a more modest 
>>>technological breakthrough to help the 285 
>>>million people who are blind or partially 
>>>blind: The BlindSpot cane, a clever and 
>>>empathetic technological attempt to create new 
>>>opportunities for social interaction for the 
>>>visually impaired by harnessing GPS technology 
>>>and non-visual interface design. “I took the 
>>>approach to serve their emotional needs more 
>>>than just their physical needs,” she says. 
>>>So, for her design program at the National 
>>>University of Singapore, she built a prototype 
>>>white cane that doubles as a GPS-enabled 
>>>smartphone with a tactile and audio interface 
>>>that lets a blind user walk more confidently 
>>>while navigating social settings a little more 
>>>easily than usual. “Their social life is 
>>>dependent on the people around them. They 
>>>cannot say hi to a friend without the friend 
>>>saying hi first,” Chew explains. A blind 
>>>person could be standing right next to a 
>>>friend at a bus stop and not know it. The 
>>>BlindSpot cane will alert the blind friend 
>>>that someone they know is nearby, and direct 
>>>them to initiate a hello. That’s an 
>>>empowering new ability. It’s not a pressing 
>>>health issue that a blind person won’t ever 
>>>see a classmate across the quad and be able to 
>>>go up to them to ask about sharing notes, or 
>>>that a blind child wouldn’t know his mother 
>>>arrived at school to pick him up until she 
>>>comes over to tap him on the shoulder. But 
>>>each step toward fuller autonomy is an 
>>>important one for the sensory impaired. The 
>>>friend-finding feature works because the cane 
>>>contains a specially designed phone that slots 
>>>into the handle and connects to a Bluetooth 
>>>earpiece with an audio interface. A trackball 
>>>on the handle controls the menu and points 
>>>which way to go. When a friend checks in on 
>>>Foursquare (or any other location-sharing 
>>>service), the cane alerts the blind user with 
>>>an audio message, saying how far away the 
>>>person is, down to how many steps it will take 
>>>to reach them. The cane offers the option to 
>>>ignore, call the friend, or, most 
>>>impressively, go find them, an option blind 
>>>people don’t usually get to experience. 
>>>“The tactile navigator is a directional 
>>>pointer that translates GPS map directions 
>>>into an 'arrow’ that points towards the way 
>>>to go,” Chew says. In addition to the phone 
>>>features, the BlindSpot cane also does a 
>>>better job at its primary function, preventing 
>>>a blind person from walking into things. An 
>>>ultrasonic sensor detects obstacles a normal 
>>>cane would not, like hanging objects, rails, 
>>>or other protruding structures that the 
>>>ground-level sweep of a cane might miss. The 
>>>product demonstration video portrays the 
>>>everyday danger of a broom handle slanting out 
>>>of a garbage can, for instance. A standard 
>>>cane would sweep under the broom without 
>>>detecting it, leaving the handle dangerously 
>>>aimed right at the blind walker’s head. The 
>>>BlindSpot cane senses it and beeps a warning 
>>>call in the Bluetooth earpiece. And like other 
>>>minimalist white gadgets with just one button 
>>>these days, the BlindSpot’s design elegance 
>>>makes it easier to handle at home. The 
>>>electronic components detach from the cane to 
>>>charge, cable-free, on an inductive charging 
>>>dock. And when the phone component is not 
>>>inserted, it acts just like a regular cell 
>>>phone, so you can still accept calls without 
>>>the Bluetooth headset, controlling the menu 
>>>with the tactile track ball on the back. Chew 
>>>is currently looking to find a partner to 
>>>bring this design to market on an industrial 
>>>level. She was recently recognized with second 
>>>prize in the James Dyson Awards. You can read 
>>>this article and view a video at the link 
>>>below: 
>>>http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678887/a-cane-for-the-blind-improves-social-interactions-sunday-strolls 
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>>>_______________________________________________ 
>>>  Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 9:37 PM To: 
>>>david.andrews at nfbnet.org Subject: [Blindtlk] 
>>>Fwd: NBP-Announce: New: Diary of a Wimpy Kid 
>>>in braille > >Diary of a Wimpy Kid >By Jeff 
>>>Kinney >In contracted braille (2 vols) and 
>>>eBraille, $13.95 >Ages 9-12 > >The Wimpy Kid 
>>>series has sold over 47 million copies in the 
>>>U.S. >alone, and been translated into 30 
>>>languages worldwide. Although >targeted to 
>>>reluctant boy readers, it has hooked girls, 
>>>too, making >it the most popular series for 
>>>that age group, even dusting Harry >Potter! 
>>>Educators and librarians recommend it because 
>>>it gets >kids to read. Find out what the 
>>>hoopla is about by ordering the >first book in 
>>>the series. > >For the braille edition, we've 
>>>fully described each comics-style drawing 
>>>in >the book so braille readers will be able 
>>>to read the books seamlessly. > >"In this 
>>>laugh-out-loud novel, Greg tells his story in 
>>>a series of short, >episodic chapters. Most 
>>>revolve around the adolescent male curse: the 
>>>need >to do incredibly dumb things because 
>>>they seem to be a good idea at 
>>>the >time. >Yet, unlike some other books about 
>>>kids of this age, there's no sense of 
>>>a >slightly condescending adult writer behind 
>>>the main character. >Lots of fun throughout." 
>>>--Booklist review >To order or read more about 
>>>this book online, visit >http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/WIMPY1.html
>
>
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