[nabs-l] Cars for the Blind

Fri Aug 6 11:42:09 UTC 2010

Ok, here is my input on the situation.  If finances are available, we should 
go for it.  If it does not benefit us blind people, it will benefit others 
who can see.  Also, it might create safer roads if the cars become so 
popular that the sighted begin to use them.  Also, airplanes are piloted by 
computers, and airplanes are safer than cars.  So who is to say that a car 
couldn't be as safe.  As for the hair trigger decisions, only doing it by 
testing it can we know if we can accomplish this.  Also, because the car can 
see in all directions at all times where as humans can only see in one, 
would it be less likely for an accident because the driver would know more 
information sooner.  Just thinking out loud here about this.  Anita

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kirt Manwaring" <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 11:37 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Cars for the Blind

> Man...no.  What if I wanna drag race, or do doughnuts in the middle of
> the road, or something like that?  I'm not sure an autonomous computer
> would let me be a risky driver like that.  But- in all seriousness,
> I'm not sure there's any substitute for the human brain.  I really
> wouldn't trust any computer, no matter how advanced, to drive me any
> place.  Because, all the computing power in the world can't make up
> for human intuition and reasoning.  I suppose avoiding obstacles and
> the like would be possible with a computer driving you, but I think
> there are situations on a road that require more complex problem
> solving ability than that.  And- pardon my silliness, but where's the
> fun in letting a computer drive you any place?  To me that almost
> defeats the purpose of driving.  Just sayin.  :)
> Hope everyone's doing well,
> Kirt
>
> On 8/5/10, Mark J. Cadigan <kramc11 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> In my opinion, a car that drives itself would be the best option. 
>> Eliminate
>> human error from the equation. I don't just mean for blind drivers, but 
>> for
>> everyone. Have your own personal Cray supercomputer under the hood along
>> with the engine. Lol. But in all seriousness the computing power required 
>> to
>> have a truly autonomous vehicle would be staggering.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Kirt Manwaring" <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 5:25 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Cars for the Blind
>>
>>
>>> Absolutely- but, 50 years ago, the technology for computers and the
>>> internet was still conceivable, although not available.  To me, the
>>> hardest part would be getting a system which could show us everything
>>> a sighted person could see on the road, and give us enough time to
>>> react acordingly.  (we're talking split-second things here, stuff
>>> sighted peoples' brains see and process practicly instantaneously)  I
>>> think, if such an interface is possible, it's a long, long way off.
>>>  That being said, I'm all for what's happening with the blind driver
>>> challenge and the race for independence.  That could be what we need
>>> to make those technologies possible, and who knows what else could
>>> come from it.  I just don't see me driving in ten, twenty, even fifty
>>> years.  Maybe never.  But I hope to be proven wrong.  By all means, as
>>> long as the money and resources are available for this kind of
>>> research, and it seems to me they very much are, why the heck not?
>>>
>>> On 8/5/10, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I also think it's a good idea, just because whether we end up making a
>>>> car
>>>> that we can drive or not, we will certainly learn something out of it. 
>>>> It
>>>>
>>>> is
>>>> true that these days blind people are doing things which seemed
>>>> impossible
>>>> only 50 years ago. I wonder how many people in the 60s thought that it
>>>> was
>>>> possible to create a computer, and how many of those people thought it
>>>> was
>>>> possible to have a blind person use that computer independently like we
>>>> do
>>>> now. By then, it must have felt pretty much as impossible as driving a
>>>> car
>>>> feels now. I don't know if they'll get anything useful out of it, but
>>>> technologies invented in order to make that car will certainly be 
>>>> useful
>>>> in
>>>> the future, both for blind and sighted people.
>>>> On Aug 4, 2010, at 4:14 PM, Kirt Manwaring wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I think the race for independence is a great idea.  Will it end up
>>>>> producing a car we can actually drive- who can say?  But I see nothing
>>>>> wrong with trying.  I confess to being, even after convention, a bit
>>>>> skeptical of a car that I could drive.  It sounds great on paper- but
>>>>> that's a whole heck of a lot of technology to depend on.  (you're
>>>>> talking cameras, laser sensors, and the interface to efficiently show
>>>>> a blind driver everything a sighted person's brain unconsciously
>>>>> processes in a matter of miliseconds)  I'm no expert, and I certainly
>>>>> hope future developments prove me wrong, but I just don't see how it's
>>>>> going to work.  Does anyone have any information, other than what we
>>>>> heard at onvention, about the specific technologies that could be
>>>>> involved?  I'd be very interested.  Thanks and I appologize for the
>>>>> rambling post.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 8/3/10, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Something Antonio mentioned in his last post got me thinking about
>>>>>> something.  Antonio said:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Let's support work to develop useful, cheaper, and better 
>>>>>> technologies
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> fully investigate something before becoming spoke persons for 
>>>>>> unviable
>>>>>> solutions.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I guess this is my sentiment as it relates to this whole project
>>>>>> devoted
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> cars for the blind.  If the topic's already been discussed, I totally
>>>>>> missed
>>>>>> it, but what do people generally think about it?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>>>>>> sleeves,
>>>>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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