[nabs-l] Fwd: [LCA] a cane for the blind improves social interactions]

[Arielle Silverman]

Curious what y'all think of this. Would anyone actually use it?
Arielle

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Linda Coccovizzo <linda at coccovizzo.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:07:03 -0600
Subject: [LCA] a cane for the blind improves social interactions]
To: John <johncoccovizzo at yahoo.com>, bviparents at yahoogroups.com,
Missouri Chat <chat at moblind.org>, "Adaptive technology information and
support." <ati at moblind.org>, LCA at yahoogroups.com

Wow.  Now wouldn't this be cool?  This article, however, does not
reflect my opinion on the work the NFB has done on the the car.  I think
that's pretty exciting as well.

Linda C.

A Cane For The Blind Improves Social Interactions, Sunday Strolls

>  Photo courtesy of: The Dyson Awards

>  As scientists make slow and steady progress on sensors to help the

>blind  see and move, this cane helps them say hi to friends.

>  While the National Federation for the Blind is pushing to build an

>auto  interface that lets visually impaired people drive safely and

autonomously  design student Selene Chew has a more modest

>technological breakthrough to  help the 285 million people who are

>blind or partially blind The BlSpot  cane, a clever and empathetic

>technological attempt to create new  opportunities for social

>interaction for the visually impaired by  harnessing GPS technology and
non-visual interface design.

>  "I took the approach to serve their emotional needs more than just

>their  physical needs," she says.  So, for her design program at the

>National  University of Singapore, she built a prototype white cane

>that doubles as  a GPS-enabled smartphone with a tactile and audio

>interface that lets a  blind user walk more confidently while

>navigating social settings a little  more easily than usual.

>  "Their social life is dependent on the people around them.  They

>cannot  say hi to a friend without the friend saying hi first," Chew

>explains.  A  blind person could be standing right next to a friend at

>a bus stop and  not know it.  The BlSpot cane will alert the blind

>friend that someone  they know is nearby, and direct them to initiate a

>hello.  That's an  empowering new ability.  It's not a pressing health

>issue that a blind  person won't ever see a classmate across the quad

>and be able to go up to  them to ask about sharing notes, or that a

>blind child wouldn't know his  mother arrived at school to pick him up

>until she comes over to tap him on  the shoulder.  But each step toward

>fuller autonomy is an important one  for the sensory impaired.

>  The friend-finding feature works because the cane contains a

>specially  designed phone that slots into the handle and connects to a

>Bluetooth  earpiece with an audio interface.  A trackball on the handle

>controls the  menu and points which way to go.

>  When a friend checks in on Foursquare (or any other location-sharing

>service), the cane alerts the blind user with an audio message, saying

>how  far away the person is, down to how many steps it will take to
reach them.

>  The cane offers the option to ignore, call the friend, or, most

>impressively, go find them, an option blind people don't usually get to

>experience.

>  "The tactile navigator is a directional pointer that translates GPS

>map  directions into an 'arrowb that points towards the way to go," Chew
says.

>  In addition to the phone features, the BlSpot cane also does a better

>job  at its primary function, preventing a blind person from walking

>into  things.

>  An ultrasonic sensor detects obstacles a normal cane would not, like

>hanging objects, rails, or other protruding structures that the

>ground-level sweep of a cane might miss.  The product demonstration

>video  portrays the everyday danger of a broom handle slanting out of a

>garbage  can, for instance.  A standard cane would sweep under the

>broom without  detecting it, leaving the handle dangerously aimed right

>at the blind  walkerbs head.  The BlSpot cane senses it and beeps a

>warning call in the  Bluetooth earpiece.

>  And like other minimalist white gadgets with just one button these

>days,  the BlSpotbs design elegance makes it easier to handle at home.

>The  electronic components detach from the cane to charge, cable-free,

>on an  inductive charging dock.  And when the phone component is not

>inserted, it  acts just like a regular cell phone, so you can still

>accept calls without  the Bluetooth headset, controlling the menu with

>the tactile track ball on  the back.

>  Chew is currently looking to find a partner to bring this design to

>market on an industrial level.  She was recently recognized with second

>prize in the James Dyson Awards.

>  Copyright 2011 Mansueto Ventures, LLC.