[nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Fri Apr 12 13:04:04 UTC 2013

Good morning everyone,

    One thing we should keep in mind is that certain issues or choices may 
not be important to an individual but they are very significant to others. 
You may not want a car of your own to drive but get behind our efforts to 
develop a vehicle drivable by a blind person for those who want that choice 
and all that comes with it. Maybe you don't mind sitting around waiting for 
a bus or a paratransit vehicle to show up but others live busy lives and 
would benefit from having their own transportation they can use at their 
convenience and not be limited to living in areas where public 
transportation is available.

Peter Donahue

 ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sophie Trist" <sweetpeareader at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2013 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Carly, with all due respect, I strongly disagree with you. Having
to rely on public transportation severely limits us. If you want
super reliable PT, you have to live in a big city. I've been
experimenting with the PT in my hometown, and it isn't always on
time. I do not want to live in a big city--I'm more of a small
town kind of girl.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>,National Association of Blind Students
mailing list<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:32:30 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Hi, List,

On the other hand, for my whole life I have watched sighted folk
seem
to agonize over so much turmoil, and hostility towrd their fellow
man, as they drive. I have always been grateful not having that
crap
to contend with. Besides, I am not confident about chances of
ever
affording such a car. And, I don't care about the principles
personal
cars supposedly afford. Where can they take you that a bus,
train, or
friend/driver cannot?
  Ultimately, i believe traveling from point A to point B, oughta
be
a communal affair. Leave the driving to ol' Sighty!
So no, on the car!
Car At 06:23 PM 4/11/2013, Sophie Trist wrote:
I can't wait to see these google cars come out. It will be a
major
milestone in the independence and assimulation of blind people in
sighted society. My only worry is that the sighties won't trust
us
to drive, even (maybe especially) if the car was
computer-controlled. Even my boyfriend, who is blind, says he
will
never trust a self-propelled car. Our trouble will be convincing
them that it's safe for us and for others on the road.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:02:08 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Hello,
The reason why the Google Car is Superior is because it is
already going
mainstream, it has a major company behind it and there is nothing
wrong with
backing both cars.
The big debate will be if people want to drive under their own
control or a
computers. It is not unlike reading Braille or using a screen
reader to read
a book. Braille is all fine and dandy, but a screen reader is
very
important. The difference is the Google car is going mainstream
and will
have mainstreem support. It would be the same if Jaws went
mainstreem and
companies like Google started making units that used Jaws and no
screen.
Braille would be useful, but not particularly necessary for most
common
tasks.
If one used a car on city roads and highways, there would be very
little or
no need to manually drive. If one wanted to map a long driveway
or country
road, one would need to manually drive it till the road could be
completely
entered into the database.
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message-----
From: Sophie Trist
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 1:37 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Brandon, I totally 100% agree!!! However, didn't the NFB invent a
self-propelled car of sorts? If so, it might be hard to convince
them to back the google car unless we can prove theirs is
superior.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:05:01 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Hello,
Yes in a way, the logistics of liability still need to be taken
into account
I'm sure and licensing probably still needs to be worked out, but
if the
government officials are pushed, it will happen very soon.
I think the NFB should push for these quite hard. Perhaps they
could even
ask that a car come to the convention, I think Google would take
the
challenge.
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message-----
From: Justin Young
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 9:13 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

So does this mean these vehicles will soon be on the market for
individuals to purchase in Nevada?  Sounds like a very
interesting
project.

On 4/11/13, Robert William Kingett <kingettr at gmail.com> wrote:
Google's self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads
after
the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved on Monday the
nation's
first autonomous vehicle license.

The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways,
in
Carson City neighborhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip,
the
Nevada DMV said in a statement.

The Nevada legislature last year authorized self-driven cars for
the
state's roads, the first such law in the United States. That law
went
into effect on March 1, 2012.

Google's self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors,
lasers,
and a database of information collected from manually driven
cars to
help navigate, according to the company.

The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its
experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford
professor and
Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.

Google's self-driving cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge
and
driven along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, according to
the
company.

Autonomous vehicles are the "car of the future," Nevada DMV
director
Bruce Breslow said in a statement. The state also has plans to
eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of
the
public, the DMV said.

Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is being considered in
other
states, including Google's home state of California.

"The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error.
Through
the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous
vehicle
is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and
operating the vehicle more safely," California state Senator
Alex
Padilla said in March when he introduced that state's autonomous
car
legislation.

Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in
Nevada,
the DMV said.

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