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

[Hope Paulos]

It definitely sounds interesting. I'd probably try it out, but I'm a dog 
person, so wouldn't use it that often. If they offered the GPS/phone device 
separately from the cane I'd probably use it more.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick Molloy" <ptrck.molloy at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Fwd: [LCA] a cane for the blind improves 
socialinteractions]


> 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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>
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