[NFB-Krafters-Korner] OT: AI robot aims to replace canes and guide dogs

Thu Mar 7 16:16:13 UTC 2024

I am totally with you on this Jolene.

-----Original Message-----
From: NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jolene Nemeth via NFB-Krafters-Korner
Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 9:31 AM
To: List for blind crafters and artists <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jolene Nemeth <radar500 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFB-Krafters-Korner] OT: AI robot aims to replace canes and guide dogs

oh no way would i give up my furry girl for that...

On 3/7/24, Tracy Carcione via NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> This is ridiculous.  Guide dogs do not cost the user thousands.  And I 
> have often used my dog or cane to explore an unfamiliar area or go 
> where I've never gone before.
> I could see this thing having some uses, but really I get tired of 
> these tech "marvels" that will solve all the "terrible, terrible" 
> problems of being blind.
> Brings out my Federationist spirit.
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org> On 
> Behalf Of Tammy Freitag via NFB-Krafters-Korner
> Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 9:14 AM
> To: 'List for blind crafters and artists' 
> <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: ms.sunflower61 at gmail.com
> Subject: [NFB-Krafters-Korner] OT: AI robot aims to replace canes and 
> guide dogs
>
> Wow!
>
> Just sharing!
>
> Tammy
>
>
>
> 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-see
> n-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/preven
> ting-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-dis
> eases/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/b
> m1404/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-ro
> bot-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-l
> ove-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-l
> ove-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-yo
> u-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-wor
> ld-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-r
> eal-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-ima
> ges-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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>
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>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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