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

[Marc Workman]

I'm not saying I would use this, but wouldn't it make more sense to simply develop an iPhone app.  I've already got the iPhone and the bluetooth ear piece.  What advantage is there to strapping my phone to a cane as opposed to keeping it in my pocket? Really, if I wanted, I could already use Four Square to find near by friends and Navigon to give me directions.  These interfaces could probably be made more user friendly, but besides that, I don't see what advantage this set up is supposed to bring.

Best,

Marc
On 2011-11-28, at 12:16 PM, Arielle Silverman wrote:

> 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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