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

Wed Nov 12 02:35:15 UTC 2008

I think we need to reallly get in contact with these engineers and 
straighten them out.  This device has no value to us.  Sometimes I turn 
my phone onto vibrate.  Sometimes cars cut in front of me when turning.  
I think this article needs to be sent to the head office in Baltimore 
and these engineers dealt with.  We need to take a much stronger 
position on these issues and not back down. 

I heard a month ago about a deal that will close State Street in the 
Loop for a year or so so Mayor Daley and his contractor buddies can 
install APS here.  We need to research whether this is true and get 
active on this.  I know one thing, I do not need to have more 
distractions at State and Lake with a train or two and a bunch of cars 
and trucks running around.  I do not need a beeping or buzzing device 
interfeering with this. 

Folks, we are in truly dangerous times with the help/harm contingency 
out there. 

Mr. H

Deborah Kent Stein wrote:
>
>
> 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
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