[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

Sun Nov 16 17:42:27 UTC 2008

Beth, why?  If your hearing and sight are going bad, do you really want ot 
trust your life to technology?  I'd rather use paratransit and/or friends 
more to get around and put up with the inconvenience.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind


>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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>> --
>> Lora and Leader Dog Myrtle
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