[Nfbf-l] Microsoft's bone-conducting headset guides the blind with audio cues.

[Jorge Paez]

Ah. Another random experiment.
First Google with their google glass and now 3d sound, which I figured
would come along sooner or later.
Like the Google Glass though, its a neat idea but I wonder how usable it'll be?
I mean yeah it still leaves you open to environmental noises, and I
like the things it can do but is it really, can it really become
integrated into every day travel?
Maybe this would be awesome for like, turism or something like that,
don't know about every-day use though.




On 11/6/14, Alan Dicey via Nfbf-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Dear Friends,
> Passing this along. I believe the more companies that work on developing
> "Special Technology" for we the Blind, the sooner one will come up with just
>
> the right one for everyone.
>
> Hi All,
> For your information. Appended is an article that appeared on EnGadget this
>
> morning.
> Best wishes,
> Peter Meijer
> Seeing with Sound - The vOICe
> http://www.seeingwithsound.com/winvoice.htm
>
>
> Microsoft's bone-conducting headset guides the blind with audio cues.
> By Mariella Moon.
>
> While nothing can replace the companionship of a guide dog, technology can
> help make treks through busy cities a lot less stressful and more enjoyable
>
> for the visually impaired.
> Microsoft, for one, is currently testing a new headset (developed with help
>
> from UK charity Guide Dogs) that uses 3D soundscape technology to guide its
>
> users with audio cues along the way. That bone-conducting headset can't work
>
> alone, though: it needs to be connected to a smartphone, as well as to
> receive information from Bluetooth and WiFi beacons placed in intervals
> throughout the roads users take.
> For its pilot program, Microsoft attached makeshift beacons on neighborhood
>
> objects in a London suburb, where its first testers are giving it a spin.
> When company news writer Jennifer Warnick tried it out while blindfolded,
> she found herself so efficient in getting around with only sounds to guide
> her, that she felt like a "dry-land dolphin."
>
> According to her detailed report on the experiment, the beacons would
> constantly send audio cues that sound like the galloping coconut noise from
>
> Monty Python to ensure her she's taking the right way. She also reported
> hearing other sounds, such as sonar pings to warn her if she's veering too
> close to curbs, as well as turn-by-turn voice directions, telling her how
> far she still has to walk to certain establishments, or if the bus she's
> waiting for is approaching.
> It'll obviously take a ton of effort bringing the headset to market, seeing
>
> as more permanent beacons will need to be installed everywhere. Hopefully,
> the company finds a way to bring the system to other places, for the sake of
>
> all the blind folks who'd love to be more independent.
>
> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEzncMLLOxE
>
> Source URL:
> http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/06/microsoft-headset-for-the-visually-impaired/
>
> With Best Regards,
> God Bless
> Alan
> Plantation, Florida
> Alan Dicey, Vice President
> United States Braille Chess Association - USBCA
> "Yes, Blind and Visually Impaired People, Can, and Do, Play Chess!"
> United States Braille Chess Association Home Page:
> http://AmericanBlindChess.org
>
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-- 
Jorge A. Paez

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgeapaez11994