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

[Patrick Molloy]

Sounds pretty interesting, but also a little strange. A cane to help
us find our friends? I feel like that makes us too dependent on
technology. What's wrong with just striking up a conversation with
someone? Anyway, I'd probably try it out, just to say I'd done it. But
give me a folding cane any day. Much easier to handle on a college
campus.
Patrick

On 11/28/11, David Bouchard <davidb521 at gmail.com> wrote:
> It sounds very expensive and bulky. It's a nifty idea, but a little
> impractical. Perhaps a separate device would be in order, something that is
> not a cane. I still prefer the NFB cane due to its lightness and
> receptivity. This cane would take that away because of its weight and
> probably its material composition.
> David
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Arielle Silverman
> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 2:17 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Fwd: [LCA] a cane for the blind improves social
> interactions]
>
> 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.
>
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