[Ohio-talk] Autonomous Cars--See Article

Sun Apr 15 17:23:37 UTC 2018

On 4/15/18, Milena Zavoli via Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Greetings Friends,
>
> The following article appeared in the New Jersey Technology Division
> Listserv.  I thought you might be interested in some up-to-date information
> about this all-important topic to the blind.
>
> Milena
>
> Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 16:04:19 +0000
> From: Mario Brusco <mrb620 at hotmail.com>
> To: "njtechdiv at nfbnet.org" <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [Njtechdiv] Researchers develop autonomous vehicles to help
> 	the blind
> Message-ID:
> 	<CY1PR0301MB2011496DAAF7347ECC3C5C5F86B30 at CY1PR0301MB2011.namprd03.prod
> .com>
> 	
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Researchers develop autonomous vehicles to help the blind
> https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/text/Technology/2018/0413/Researchers-devel
> op-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.
>
>  Full HTML version of this story which may include photos, graphics, and
> related links.
> https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2018/0413/Researchers-develop-autonomous-ve
> hicles-to-help-the-blind
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Wishing You All the Best,

Cheryl E. Fields

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human
life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will
never sit.
--D. Elton Trueblood

Thank you Melina for this article.

Lots to think about... I wonder if the car will really be affordable
and how will the insurance companies react, higher rates?
Operators license? There may be lots of hoops to jump through before
we will ever be able to own one of these cars.

Guess I'm like the guy in the article, cautiously optimist... CF