[NAGDU] FW: AI robot aims to replace canes and guide dogs

Thu Mar 7 17:31:37 UTC 2024

And will the price of the robot really be worth it? Depending on how
expensive it is, it may not be.

On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 11:54 AM Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> I remember the laser cane.  It was an interesting idea, but it was very
> heavy, couldn't be used in the rain, nor could it be used when it was over
> 90 or under 32 degrees.  Not very practical.
>
> The actually useful thing the robot could do is help me find stuff in a
> store, or help find stores in a mall, but, if a robot could do it, why not
> the phone I already have?
> Tracy
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Josh Kennedy via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 10:24 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <
> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Josh Kennedy <joshknnd1982 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] FW: AI robot aims to replace canes and guide dogs
>
> I think it will be at least 100, or 200 years, before any kind of robot
> can fully replace a cane or guide dog, horse,  or guide animal of any kind.
> And you will always have the problem of affordability. And even then it may
> not happen. And I don't care how good AI robots get, they are just fancy
> machines packaged in different ways. A computer, don't care what kind of
> how fancy it is, can't be your friend and companion.
> Its like that old laser cane from the 1980s and 1990s. That never took off.
> Anyone remember the laser cane that made loud beep sounds to detect
> obstacles?
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 9:29 AM Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> > Good grief.  Another whiz-bang that's supposed to replace dogs and canes.
> > It could have some uses, but I'm not giving up my dog any time soon.
> > And the article is full of inaccuracies.  A guide dog does not cost
> > the user thousands.  And I have often used my dog or cane to explore a
> > new area or go somewhere I've never been before, and it wasn't a big
> > deal.  The whole tone of the thing is rather insulting.
> > Sorry the article also has teasers for other articles, but here it is.
> > Just keep going past the teasers.
> > Tracy
> >
> > From: tech-vi at groups.io <tech-vi at groups.io> On Behalf Of David
> > Goldfield
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 5:38 PM
> > To: List <tech-vi at groups.io>
> > Subject: [Tech-VI] For the vision impaired, this AI robot aims to
> > replace canes and guide dogs
> >
> >
> >
> > Latest articles for ZDNET - Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 2:53 PM
> >
> >
> > For the vision impaired, this AI robot aims to replace canes and guide
> > dogs
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > You know you've arrived when music legend Stevie Wonder, who is blind,
> > takes your brand new robotic device for the blind for a spin <
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hbE23zyQ6M>  at the Consumer
> > Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
> >
> > Outfitted in his trademark dark glasses, Wonder pushes what looks like
> > a miniature vacuum cleaner -- with big wheels attached to a stick --
> > along a corridor, makes a turn, and comes back.
> >
> > Also: The 15 best robots and AI tech we saw at CES 2024 <
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-14-best-robots-and-ai-tech-weve-seen
> > -at-ces-2024-so-far/>
> >
> >
> > It may not look very sophisticated for a robot, but Amos Miller <
> > https://www.linkedin.com/in/amosmiller/>  -- founder and inventor of
> > the 'Glide' -- thinks it will transform the lives of those who suffer
> > from impaired vision.
> >
> > American Community Survey says that there were 547,083 children with
> > vision difficulty in the US in 2019,  and millions more people go
> > blind during their lives as a result of diseases like diabetes or
> > glaucoma <
> > https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/prevent
> > ing-problems/diabetic-eye-disease>
> > .
> >
> >
> > A world in darkness
> >
> >
> > Amos Miller started going blind in his late twenties because of
> > retinitis pigmentosa <
> > https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-dise
> > ases/retinitis-pigmentosa#:~:text=What%20is%20retinitis%20pigmentosa%3
> > F,that%20people%20are%20born%20with.>
> > , a genetic condition that breaks down the light-sensitive tissue in
> > the back of the eye, called the retina.
> > Miller was finishing up his computer science degree and looking
> > forward to a career in technology when he lost his sight.
> >
> > He is among some 7.6 million <
> > https://nfb.org/resources/blindness-statistics>  people in the US
> > today who have suddenly faced this devastating new reality where
> > nothing is as it used to be. Everything has to be re-learned.
> >
> > Simple tasks -- going to the bathroom or fixing a sandwich -- become
> > an ordeal.
> >
> > "Going to the fridge to get a glass of milk used to be something I
> > could do half asleep; after I lost my vision it became a multi-step
> > process, and any error meant I found myself standing, lost in a house
> > I'd lived in for years," says Kim Tindall who, like Miller, went blind
> as an adult.
> >
> > Tindall had to re-learn practically everything. She attending a course
> > <
> > https://nfb.org/sites/default/files/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm14/bm
> > 1404/bm140414.htm> at the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB).
> >
> > Also: Instant evolution: If AI can design a robot in 26 seconds, what
> > else can it do? <
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/instant-evolution-if-ai-can-design-a-rob
> > ot-in-26-seconds-what-else-can-it-do/>
> >
> >
> > Miller started his adaptive journey by learning how to use the most
> > pervasive and cost-effective technology that blind people employ to
> > navigate their world -- a cane. Over time, he graduated to a service dog.
> > Yet, the more familiar Miller became with the limitations of canes and
> > dogs, the more convinced he was that there had to be a better way to
> > navigate this technology-saturated world.
> >
> > Now, a guide dog <
> > https://qz.com/1049443/the-sad-truth-about-guide-dogs-will-make-you-lo
> > ve-them-more> can serve as a much-needed companion as well as an
> > indispensable navigational aid.
> >
> > But they don't come cheap. Guide dogs can each cost <
> > https://qz.com/1049443/the-sad-truth-about-guide-dogs-will-make-you-lo
> > ve-them-more> up to $50,000 to breed and train, and they age quickly.
> > In five or six years, these dogs have worn themselves out and need to
> > be replaced, which makes the whole enterprise both emotionally and
> > financially taxing.
> >
> > Moreover, replacements aren't exactly cheap or easily available; only
> > around 10,000 dogs are available every year for a visually impaired
> > population of 7.6 million.
> >
> > Also: Robots plus generative AI: Everything you need to know when they
> > work as one <
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/robots-plus-generative-ai-everything-you
> > -need-to-know-when-they-work-as-one/>
> >
> >
> > The cane, priced at only $35, is a much less expensive solution than
> > the canine -- but it too has considerable limitations.
> >
> > The user of a cane has to employ a technique called 'shorelining <
> > https://www.massrobotics.org/glide-to-work-with-people-with-blindness-
> > to-navigate-the-world/> ' -- essentially tracing the tip of the cane
> > along a curb or the walls of buildings to stay on track. Getting the
> > hang of this typically requires 100 hours of training.
> >
> >
> >
> > Amos Miller/LinkedIn
> >
> > Also, the similarity -- and problem -- with both canes and dogs is
> > that the blind user must have a very good idea of where they're going,
> > which means a thorough familiarity with their route, their
> > surroundings, and markers on the way such as mailboxes and trees.
> >
> > Wending your way through a cityscape blind requires immense
> > concentration as well as the mental strength to remain unflappable
> > during wrong turns and other navigational mishaps.
> >
> > Also: This AI app will soon screen for type 2 diabetes using just a
> > 6-10 second voice clip <
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-ai-app-will-soon-screen-for-type-2-
> > diabetes-using-just-a-6-10-second-voice-clip/>
> >
> >
> > Consequently, only 2% to 8% of those with impaired vision use canes
> > along with the 2% who use dogs. This means that over 90% of the blind
> > population lead intensely limited lives.
> >
> >
> > The 'Glide' dog
> >
> >
> > As a software professional, Miller was perfectly suited to dream up a
> > better solution.
> >
> > Miller has served as chairman at Guide Dogs for the Blind (UK) <
> > https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/> , and is also a former product
> > strategist <
> > https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/podcast/soundscaping-the-worl
> > d-with-amos-miller/> at Microsoft Research, where he was instrumental
> > in developing Soundscape
> > -- an app that fosters mobility independence through audio.
> >
> > It's not surprising, therefore, that Miller's Glide <
> > https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.02336.pdf> , 9-by-9 inches in size, is both
> > sophisticated and bare-bones elegant.
> >
> >
> >
> > Glidance/ZDNET
> >
> > The robot doesn't have a motor attached to its wheels--it moves around
> > using passive kinetic guidance as a propulsive force. The user simply
> > has to push it forward to get it moving, the robot comes to a halt
> > when the user does.
> >
> > For the visually impaired, the passive kinetic guidance is a crucial
> > feature. The worst thing you can do when guiding a blind person is to
> > drag them along, thereby robbing the individual of any agency or control.
> >
> > Being motorless also makes the Glide incredibly lightweight. At a
> > svelte 3 pounds, the device can be hauled over stairs quite easily,
> > which makes it manageable and appealing.
> >
> > The Glide's wheels have cameras and sensors <
> > https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.02336.pdf>  affixed to them, which help
> > users to either maneuver around objects or to simply apply the brakes.
> > This is accomplished via an elegant feature -- a haptic handle
> > (outfitted with six vibrotactile actuators) that receives feedback
> > from the unit traversing the ground.
> >
> > Also: From automated to autonomous, will the real robots please stand
> > up? <
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/from-automated-to-autonomous-will-the-re
> > al-robots-please-stand-up/>
> >
> >
> > The haptic handle, in turn, relays information about the terrain to
> > the user.  For instance, a double tap transmitted to the user's handle
> > means "slow down."
> >
> > The Glide truly hits its stride when it comes to navigation. With apps
> > like Google Maps integrated into the system, a user will now have a
> > much more precise -- and reassuring -- way to get to their destination.
> >
> > This also helps contribute to the in-store shopping experience --
> > which can be a nightmare for those who struggle to navigate their way
> > through supermarket aisles looking for products. The Glide can plug
> > into store apps, enabling a user to create their shopping list, after
> > which the Glide will guide them to each item.
> >
> > Glide inventor Miller says that his company, Glidance <
> > https://glidance.io/> , is still working out pricing details but notes
> > that the product's cost will be comparable to mobile phone
> > subscription plans.
> >
> > Glidance notes that its product currently is optimized for indoor use
> > only, with development ongoing to make it ready for "more complex
> > environments with overhangs, stairs, elevators, ramps, etc.," -- and
> > most importantly, the outdoors.
> >
> > You can sign up for a beta version that is scheduled to be released
> > imminently on the company's website <https://glidance.io/> .
> >
> > Also: How Google Lookout's AI can describe images for the visually
> > impaired <
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-google-lookouts-ai-can-describe-imag
> > es-for-the-visually-impaired/>
> >
> >
> > As the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase
> > <
> > https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/>
> > from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million in 2050 (a rise from 17% to 23%
> > of the population), the number of people experiencing vision loss
> > through age-related diseases such as glaucoma or diabetes is expected to
> mushroom.
> >
> > Glide, and its future avatars, could play a key role in mitigating the
> > trauma associated with this surge in aging and blindness.
> >
> >
> > https://www.zdnet.com/article/for-the-vision-impaired-this-ai-robot-ai
> > ms-to-replace-canes-and-guide-dogs/#ftag=RSSbaffb68
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > David Goldfield,
> >
> > Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
> >
> >
> >
> > If you need help using your assistive technology learn about my
> > training services by visiting
> >
> > WWW.ScreenReaderTraining.com <http://www.screenreadertraining.com/>
> >
> >
> >
> > Am Yisrael Chai
> >
> > The Nation of Israel Lives!
> >
> >
> >
> > JAWS Certified, 2022 <
> > https://www.freedomscientific.com/Training/Certification/>
> >
> > NVDA Certified Expert <https://certification.nvaccess.org/>
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
> > www.DavidGoldfield.com <http://www.davidgoldfield.com/>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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