[nfbwatlk] Transit Guide-Bots for Blind Passengers?, Route Fifty presented by Government Executive, May 17 2015

[Mike Freeman]

What do you expect? Many blind iPhone users seem to be waxing ecstatic about
the Be My Eyes app! The common denominator here is that neither the blind
nor the sighted often seem to believe that the blind can come up with their
own solutions to problems engendered by the lack of sight.

And can you imagine what these robots would do under current operating
systems? They'd go nuts!

Wish people would worry less about the blind navigating their environment
and more about putting the blind to work!

Mike Freeman


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Prows,
Bennett (HHS/OCR) via nfbwatlk
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 7:11 AM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Cc: Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR); Nightingale, Noel
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Transit Guide-Bots for Blind Passengers?, Route
Fifty presented by Government Executive, May 17 2015

Hmmm is right! So, we want sighted guides everywhere?

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Nightingale, Noel via nfbwatlk
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2015 2:07 PM
To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Nightingale, Noel
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Transit Guide-Bots for Blind Passengers?, Route Fifty
presented by Government Executive, May 17 2015

Hmmm...

Link:
http://www.routefifty.com/2015/05/transit-guide-bots-blind-passengers/113020
/

Text:
Transit Guide-Bots for Blind Passengers?
By Bill Lucia
May 17, 2015

An assistive robotics project is exploring how advanced technology could
make it easier for people with visual impairments to navigate cities.

A blind person is traveling on the subway. The train they're riding on pulls
into a stop, the doors open and the person exits. Waiting there on the
platform, to help guide them through the station, is a robot.

"Making a robot do that, there are some challenges, but it's not as
challenging as it used to be," said Aaron Steinfeld after describing the
scenario involving the guide-bot during a recent interview. Steinfeld is an
associate research professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics
Institute in Pittsburgh, where he specializes in human-robot interaction.

He and others at the university are working on a project that aims to
incorporate robots, smartphones, mobile applications and crowdsourced
information into a system that can help blind people navigate complicated
and unfamiliar urban environments, such as transit stations.

"If you have a disability, it can be rather difficult to just get up and go
somewhere because of the planning and the information that you need at your
disposal," Steinfeld said. "That's where information technology and
assistive robot systems could really shine."
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