[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

Mon Nov 10 03:22:01 UTC 2008

Interesting stuff, Arielle.  I'd rather have, however, an accessible
cell phone rather than the cell phone I have in order to use the
software he's putting together.  He's got a long way to go as far as
learning what blind people actually use.
Beth

On 11/9/08, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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