[nabs-l] Fwd: [LCA] a cane for the blind improves socialinteractions]
Patrick Molloy
ptrck.molloy at gmail.com
Mon Nov 28 21:13:55 UTC 2011
The GPS and the phone sounds like a cool idea. I just wonder how all
of that stuff fits into a cane.
Patrick
On 11/28/11, Hope Paulos <hope.paulos at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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