[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

Sun Nov 16 15:29:30 UTC 2008

I see the point.  I'd rather see the point than not see the point. lol
 But here's the deal: I'd be willing to use the technology if my
hearing and seeing were going pretty bad.
Beth

On 11/16/08, Lora and Myrtle <blindhistory at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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>>>>
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>
>
> --
> Lora and Leader Dog Myrtle
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