[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

[Arielle Silverman]

I wonder how many people's blindness training could be funded by the
money needed for this project?

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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To:  Sharona Silverman <ssilverman at templechai.com>
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