[nabs-l] Crossing the Street for the Blind

Mon Nov 17 02:33:43 UTC 2008

Hi all,

I definitely understand the concern  for people with hearing loss, but
the way this technology is described, it'll do little or nothing to
help people with hearing loss or poor training. While it will help
slightly if  you've veered out of the crosswalk, it won't help you
identify the green light or protect you from moving  traffic if you're
going straight across the street. I would imagine that these latter
concerns--knowing when to cross in the first place and avoiding being
hit by cars that turn or run straight through the red  light--are more
serious problems than the problem of straightening out a crooked
crossing, yet this technology only helps with the crooked-crossing
issue.

Cheers
Arielle

On 11/17/08, T. Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com> wrote:
> Actually, my point was about the expense of converting over to this new
> system.  It's the same problem you have with the chirpers--if you install
> them when you service an intersection, the cost is in the thousands, but
> the rollout time is counted in decades.  If you install them now, you're
> talking billions of dollars.
>
> Are billions of dollars worth it given the fact that people still run red
> lights and that danger remains for a person with dual sensory impairments?
> Someone with multiple sensory impairments might well answer yes to that
> question, legitimately.  And if that answer is yes, then this technology
> might have some legitimate application.
>
> To suggest that I need the thing, as these people do, is insulting and
> demeaning.
>
> Joseph
>
> On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 06:29:31AM -0700, Lora and Myrtle 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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