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

Wed Nov 12 04:16:09 UTC 2008

and this assumes that every blind person owens a cell phone.

Don G.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "CONCERNED CITIZENS OF PARATRANSIT" <concernedcitizens at cometlink.com>
To: "NFB of Illinois Mailing List" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 9:00 PM
Subject: Re: [il-talk] So that the Blind may cross Streets Safely

> Debbie,
> These are all very good points.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Deborah Kent Stein" <dkent5817 at worldnet.att.net>
> To: "NFB of Illinois Mailing List" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 8:22 PM
> Subject: Re: [il-talk] So that the Blind may cross Streets Safely
>
>
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/concernedcitizens%40cometlink.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/don.gillmore%40gmail.com 