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

Wed Nov 12 04:28:11 UTC 2008

Maybe the cell phone will cost more than the typical monthly income.  LOL

Mr. H

Don Gillmore wrote:
> 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
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>>>
>>>
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>>
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