[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

Sun Nov 16 13:29:31 UTC 2008

It seems with this technology the light would already be red and the
technology wouldn't have to change the light red. I see your point though if
you can't see or hear the cars coming.

On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 12:12 AM, T. Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Sarah,
>
> Do you think billions of dollars is a fair price to pay for you to risk
> your life to cross a street when you can neither see nor potentially hear
> the dangers--including cars running those red lights?
>
> Joseph
>
>
> On Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 09:59:12AM -0600, Sarah Alawami wrote:
>
>>  I'd agree there, but sometimes you have a hearing loss as well as a
>> blindness issue . I'd rather have the device vibrate and beep at me if i
>>  do
>> start vearing and if I have a hearing loss then it to stop the traphic
>> suddenly.
>>
>> Take care.
>>
>> Sarah "Alawami
>> The christmas holidays are coming up! check out my music page at
>> http://music.marrie.org for some relaxing  holiday favorites.
>>
>> Thanks and have a wonderful day.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Beth
>> Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2008 9:22 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind
>>
>> 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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