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

Thu Mar 7 23:06:37 UTC 2024

I've known of a few guide dog users in wheelchairs.  I don't know how 
common it is, only that it happens.

Al

On 3/7/24 13:07, Yiska via NAGDU wrote:
> True about not training many wheelchair guides or if you have multiple
> disabilities.
>
> On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 10:52 AM Becky Frankeberger via NAGDU <
> nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Sign me up for this AI guide. The schools don't train dogs to guide we who
>> are in wheelchairs. This AI guide sounds wonderful, smile. I would be glad
>> to help with its development.
>>
>> Becky in her Joy Wheels
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via
>> NAGDU
>> Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 6:29 AM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: carcione at access.net
>> Subject: [NAGDU] FW: AI robot aims to replace canes and guide dogs
>>
>> 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/preventing-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-diseases/retinitis-pigmentosa#:~:text=What%20is%20retinitis%20pigmentosa%3F,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/bm1404/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-robot-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-love-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-love-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-world-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-real-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-images-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-aims-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/>
>>
>>
>>
>> Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and
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>>
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>>
>> www.DavidGoldfield.com <http://www.davidgoldfield.com/>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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