[nfbwatlk] hmmm, what do you think of this? Fw: Accessible Devices Press Release:New Cross Walk Safety System ForThe Visually Impaired

Fri Nov 7 16:59:27 UTC 2008

While I am always open to new technology, I often wonder why the burden is 
placed on the poor pedestrian?  Suppose he/she points the cell phone and 
gets a signal indicating that it's safe to cross.  The driver of an 
on-coming car may not be paying attention, and suddenly the pedestrian is 
splattered, despite the all clear from their cell phone.
The Jarvis solution:  point the cell phone up in the air and press the 
correct button.  Instantly all vehicles within 100 feet of the cross walk 
are shut down.  The pedestrian then trots, or creeps across the street in 
relative safety.  Of course this will not prevent some young hood from 
grabbing the cell phone.
Also, this article tells us that the blind are at greatest risk in crossing 
streets.  I would suggest that the elderly, whether visually impaired or 
not, are at greatest risk.  People who are blind and fairly mobile use 
alternative techniques and have been trained in proper travel techniques. 
The older population, blind or sighted, have not had the advantage of such 
training, and are much more apt to get into trouble while attempting to 
cross a busy street.

Carl Jarvis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lauren Merryfield" <lauren1 at catliness.com>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 6:35 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] hmmm,what do you think of this? Fw: Accessible Devices 
Press Release:New Cross Walk Safety System ForThe Visually Impaired

> Hi,
> Here's that dreaded subject again.  What do you think of this?
> Thanks
> Lauren
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Parker at Vip conduit" <Vipcomm at mchsi.com>
> To: "Accessible Devices" <a-d at accessible-devices.com>
> Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 10:48 AM
> Subject: Accessible Devices Press Release: New Cross Walk Safety System 
> ForThe Visually Impaired
>
>
>> This is the first we've heard of this and we have no further information.
>> Developing the Corner of Blind Avenue and Safety Way
>> MOSCOW, Idaho - For the 21.2 million Americans who suffer from vision 
>> loss,
>> crossing the street can be a stressful and potentially dangerous
>> proposition. Thanks to engineers at the University of Idaho, many 
>> visually
>> impaired individuals soon may have a greatly reduced risk thanks to a 
>> tool
>> already in their pockets - their cell phone.
>> The statistics for vision loss, provided by the American Foundation for 
>> the
>> Blind, include anyone reporting difficulty seeing, even while wearing
>> glasses or contact lenses. No matter the level of visual impairment, many
>> conditions - including visual noise, walking at night and irregular
>> intersections - can result in missing a crosswalk.
>> Regardless of conditions, the new system being developed in Moscow, 
>> Idaho,
>> will make intersections safer and easier to navigate.
>> "Minute for minute on the road, any pedestrian is 150 percent more likely 
>> to
>> be injured by a car than somebody driving one," said Richard Wall, 
>> professor
>> of electrical and computer engineering. "But it is pretty apparent that 
>> the
>> blind pedestrians are the ones most at risk at intersections."
>> The new technology utilizes features already available in many cellular
>> phones, including communications, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)
>> functions and magnetic compasses to help visually impaired pedestrians.
>> Specialized software allows these pedestrians to activate the crossing
>> signal remotely without having to locate the physical button.
>> Then, the GPS system monitors the position and direction of travel while
>> crossing. As long as the crosser stays within the crosswalk, nothing
>> happens. But stray outside the lines, and an audible warning activates
>> alerting the pedestrian of their danger. It then provides directions on 
>> how
>> to get back within the safety zone. Should the walker somehow end up in 
>> the
>> middle of the intersection, the system automatically would turn every 
>> light
>> red, stopping traffic and averting a potential disaster.
>> "It's true that this would disrupt the timing of the signal patterns when 
>> it
>> gets activated," said Wall. "But we would much rather disrupt them for a 
>> few
>> seconds than for a half hour while an ambulance assists a traffic 
>> victim."
>> To ensure people don't trigger the alarm just for fun, only those who 
>> need
>> the help would be able to acquire the necessary software.
>> The system requires more than software, however. It also requires the
>> installation of new hardware in thousands of lights across the country.
>> Luckily, Wall and his team have found a solution that not only is cost
>> effective, it simplifies the existing system.
>> Many crosswalks currently have handicapped-assisted signals that provide
>> help such as audio tones indicating when it is safe to cross. However, 
>> the
>> box that controls the intersection contains a massive amount of wiring. 
>> This
>> is necessary to connect each actuator with each signal so at any given 
>> time,
>> the control box knows each state.
>> Wall's new system simplifies each box to only two wires, both already
>> required to power the signals. It uses a technology called Ethernet over
>> power line, which allows information to be broadcast over power lines.
>> The future is clear for Wall and his research team. They have established
>> dates to deliver the engineering and expect field trials to commence in
>> June. They are building prototypes supported by funds from the University
>> Transportation Centers program, Idaho's Higher Education Research Council
>> and their commercial partner, Campbell Company, who currently makes the
>> accessible pedestrian signals that chirp and talk for the handicapped.
>> "The signals we're building are more than prototypes. These devices 
>> actually
>> can go into the field and work today," said Wall. "We're using existing
>> infrastructure and communicating intelligence over it. It's cost 
>> effective,
>> it simplifies the connection to two wires and it can be immediately
>> installed in all the existing crosswalks in the country."
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