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

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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