[il-talk] So that the Blind may cross Streets Safely

Wed Nov 12 02:22:42 UTC 2008

Thanks, Dave, for posting this.  It seems that a lot of engineers are 
working on this sort of gadget, where users have to carry a signaling 
device.  This article claims that changing the signals at crosswalks all 
over the country can be done cheaply and easily (I guess that's all 
relative), but doesn't suggest who will pay for the cell phone software that 
blind people would have to carry.  It also assumes that street crossings are 
a major problem for blind people, without any reference to the fact that 
blind people have been crossing streets safely all along.  And it doesn't 
address the importance of knowing what cars are doing as we cross streets. 
If we're busy listening to a little voice in a cell phone telling us whether 
we're on track, will we be distracted from hearing the guy turning right on 
red and zooming in front of us?

Debbie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Wright" <gymnastdave at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFB of Illinois Mailing List" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>; "Illinois 
Association of Blind Students List" <iabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 12:49 AM
Subject: [il-talk] So that the Blind may cross Streets Safely

> Hey there all,
> This information was posted to the NABS list.
> What do you all think?
> Wouldn't it make sense for funds being used to finance such projects be 
> better utilized by blind individuals who wish to attend training centers?
>
>
>
> For the 21.2 million Americans who suffer from vision loss,
> crossing the
> street can be a stressful and potentially dangerous proposition.
> Thanks
> to engineers at the University of Idaho, many visually impaired
> individuals soon may have a greatly reduced risk thanks to a tool
> already in their pockets - their cell phone.
>
> The statistics for vision loss, provided by the American
> Foundation for
> the Blind, include anyone reporting difficulty seeing, even while
> wearing glasses or contact lenses. No matter the level of visual
> impairment, many conditions - including visual noise, walking at
> night
> and irregular intersections - can result in missing a crosswalk.
>
> Regardless of conditions, the new system being developed in
> Moscow,
> Idaho, will make intersections safer and easier to navigate.
>
> "Minute for minute on the road, any pedestrian is 150 percent
> more
> likely to
>
> be injured by a car than somebody driving one," said Richard
> Wall,
> professor
>
> of electrical and computer engineering. "But it is pretty
> apparent that
> the
>
> blind pedestrians are the ones most at risk at intersections.b
>
> The new technology utilizes features already available in many
> cellular
>
> phones, including communications, Global Positioning Satellite
> (GPS)
>
> functions and magnetic compasses to help visually impaired
> pedestrians.
>
> Specialized software allows these pedestrians to activate the
> crossing
>
> signal remotely without having to locate the physical button.
>
> Then, the GPS system monitors the position and direction of
> travel while
> crossing. As long as the crosser stays within the crosswalk,
> nothing
> happens. But stray outside the lines, and an audible warning
> activates
> alerting the pedestrian of their danger. It then provides
> directions on
> how to get back within the safety zone. Should the walker somehow
> end up
> in the middle of the intersection, the system automatically would
> turn
> every light red, stopping traffic and averting a potential
> disaster.
>
> "It's true that this would disrupt the timing of the signal
> patterns
> when it gets activated," said Wall. "But we would much rather
> disrupt
> them for a few seconds than for a half hour while an ambulance
> assists a
> traffic victim."
>
> To ensure people don't trigger the alarm just for fun, only those
> who
> need the help would be able to acquire the necessary software.
>
> The system requires more than software, however. It also requires
> the
> installation of new hardware in thousands of lights across the
> country.
> Luckily, Wall and his team have found a solution that not only is
> cost
> effective, it simplifies the existing system.
>
> Many crosswalks currently have handicapped-Many crosswalks curre
> provide
> help such as audio tones indicating when it is safe to cross.
> However,
> the box that controls the intersection contains a massive amount
> of
> wiring. This is necessary to connect each actuator with each
> signal so
> at any given time, the control box knows each state.
>
> Wall's new system simplifies each box to only two wires, both
> already
> required to power the signals. It uses a technology called
> Ethernet over
> power line, which allows information to be broadcast over power
> lines.
>
> The future is clear for Wall and his research team. They have
> established dates to deliver the engineering and expect field
> trials to
> commence in June. They are building prototypes supported by funds
> from
> the University Transportation Centers program, Idaho's Higher
> Education
> Research Council and their commercial partner, Campbell Company,
> who
> currently makes the accessible pedestrian signals that chirp and
> talk
> for the handicapped.
>
> "The signals we're building are more than prototypes. These
> devices
> actually can go into the field and work today," said Wall. "We're
> using
> existing infrastructure and communicating intelligence over it.
> It's
> cost effective, it simplifies the connection to two wires and it
> can be
> immediately installed in all the existing crosswalks in the
> country."
>
> If you would like more information, or to speak with the people
> involved, please let me know.
>
> Ken Kingery
>
> Science/Research Writer
>
> University of Idaho
>
> Office: 208-885-9156
>
> Cell: 614-570-3942
> _______________________________________________
> il-talk mailing list
> il-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> il-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/il-talk_nfbnet.org/dkent5817%40worldnet.att.net 