[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

Sun Nov 16 18:51:17 UTC 2008

Friends?  Good idea, but if I had no hearing and no sght, I don't know
what I'd do.  I have no clue how Helen Keller would've gotten around
without Annie Sllivan. lol
Beth

On 11/16/08, Chris Westbrook <westbchris at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --~--~--------~--~-----~--~-----~--~-----~--~-----~--
>>>>>>
>>>>>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>>>>>
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