[Njtechdiv] Researchers develop autonomous vehicles to help the blind

[Mario Brusco]

Researchers develop autonomous vehicles to help the blind
https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/text/Technology/2018/0413/Researchers-develop-autonomous-vehicles-to-help-the-blind

By Jason Dearen, Associated Press | April 13, 2018

In 2012, Steve Mahan, who is blind, climbed into the driver's seat of a 
self-driving car and rolled up to the drive-thru of a Taco Bell in a 
video that's been viewed more

than 8 million times online.

The piece, produced by Google, captured the potential of autonomous-car 
technology to change the lives of the visually impaired.

"It was my first time behind the steering wheel in seven years and was 
absolutely amazing," Mr. Mahan said.

Self-driving-car advocates say that in addition to helping the disabled, 
the vehicles will allow people to do other tasks while driving and make 
roadways safer by

removing human error.

But six years after Google's viral video, national advocates for the 
estimated 1.3 million legally blind people in the United States are 
worried the industry is not

factoring their needs into the design of the new technology, a mistake 
they say will make the cars more expensive and harder for them to access.

"Although we have been held up as obvious beneficiaries of the 
technology in conversations and presentations, this will have just been 
exploitation if the systems

are not accessible," said Anil Lewis, executive director of the National 
Federation of the Blind's Jernigan Institute.

"How about instead of Taco Bell, we demonstrate a blind person 
independently operating an autonomous vehicle, dropping off his/her kids 
at school on the way to

work, and maybe stopping by a Starbucks on the way?"

The concerns are fueling new research outside the auto industry to 
develop data and software meant to help ensure the needs of the blind 
are met when autonomous

cars become commonplace.

In a University of Florida study, blind people are using experimental 
software that could be easily installed in cars and peoples' phones.

On a recent sunny winter day in central Florida, Sharon Van Etten eased 
into the backseat of an SUV and began speaking to a computer screen in 
front of her.

"Where do you want to go?" the computer's voice responded.

Ms. Van Etten, who is legally blind, said "Kmart," and off the car sped, 
the computer's voice intoning, "Central Christian Church on the left" 
and other landmarks as

they coasted down the street. When the driver pulled the car up to the 
store, the voice told Van Etten which side to exit from and mentioned 
some of the obstacles

she'd face between the car and the store entrance.

University of Florida researcher Julian Brinkley developed the program, 
which he has named "Atlas." Using data he collects from users like Van 
Etten and others

through collaboration with the Florida Center for the Blind in Ocala, 
he's figuring out the specific needs blind people have using 
self-driving cars, and using his

software to solve problems.

"If I'm a visually impaired person and I don't have the ability to 
verify visually that I'm at the appropriate location, how do I know that 
it's not dropping me off in a field

somewhere?" Mr. Brinkley said. "In the case of autonomous cars, 
hopefully accessibility will be moved to the forefront by some of the 
research."

Brinkley doesn't have access to a self-driving vehicle so instead uses a 
process developed by Stanford University researchers in a specially 
configured conventional

vehicle. Participants interact with vehicle-control software in what 
appears to be a self-driving vehicle, and the vehicle's driver, hidden 
behind a partition, uses

instructions from the software to drive to the right place.

Participants don't know that a human driver is at the controls.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Texas A&M 
University, and the US Army Research Laboratory also are working on 
accessibility issues for

driverless vehicles for blind and other people with disabilities.

At Waymo, Google's self-driving-car company that started nearly a decade 
ago, officials say visually impaired employees contribute to design and 
research.
While no specific system for blind riders has been completed, the 
company says it's developing a mobile app, Braille labels, and audio cues.

Spokespeople for General Motors Cruise AV group, Nissan North America 
Inc., and Toyota Research Institute all said the companies are committed 
to accessibility in

general but offered no further comment.

Mahan, the man famous for the YouTube video who still consults with 
Waymo, said he's cautiously optimistic.

"Autonomous vehicles aren't being designed for blind people; we're one 
of the beneficiaries of the technology," he said from his San Jose, 
Calif., home.
"They're working on it. I don't push. They expose me to what they're 
working on, and so I'm patiently waiting."

Autonomous-car industry analysts say the needs of disabled people are 
being discussed as designers figure out how users will interface with 
the cars, but there are

many competing demands.

"They're trying to figure out what way to interface with these vehicles 
for riders, and to build a sense of trust about what the vehicles are 
doing," said Sam

Abuelsamid, an analyst with Navigant Research in Detroit. "But right 
now, I don't know if anyone has all the answers."

In the meantime, advocates for the blind have turned to Florida's 
Brinkley and other researchers to push development forward. Back in 
Ocala, Cinzhasha Farmer

giggled nervously as the Atlas voice spoke to her.

She was eager to participate in Brinkley's study so she can one day 
drive without relying on others.

"It's one of my goals, and I don't know how I'll ever accomplish it – 
but that car may do it," she said with a smile.

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