[Promotion-technology] Fwd: Article from Minneapolis Star-Tribune Science And Technology 2010 07 02

Tue Jul 6 08:42:58 UTC 2010

Driving a car?
Really!
Now, let us imagine the reversed statistics of an 80% employment rate, a 20% unemployment rate and a 90% literacy rate.  Let us “drive” home the point of good education, job training, and a competitive edge for blind and partially sighted individuals making us more marketable in this society.  As a blind person, I am open to innovation and new ideas; however, I strongly believe that more pressing issues exist that need to be solved first.

--- On Sun, 7/4/10, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:

> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> Subject: [Promotion-technology] Fwd: Article from Minneapolis Star-Tribune Science And Technology 2010 07 02
> To: nfb-announce at nfbnet.org
> Date: Sunday, July 4, 2010, 2:29 PM
> 
> > From: NFB-NEWSLINE Online <nfbnewsline at nfb.org>
> > To: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> > Subject: Article from Minneapolis Star-Tribune Science
> And Technology 2010 07 02
> > Date: Sun,
> >   4 Jul 2010 00:51:42 -0400 (EDT)
> > 
> > That driver must be blind! Someday he may be; group to
> show high-tech car the blind can drive 
>    By KEN THOMAS ,  Associated
> Press         WASHINGTON -
> Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are trying to
> make that far-fetched notion a reality. The National
> Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to
> demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year equipped with
> technology that helps a blind person drive a car
> independently. The technology, called "nonvisual
> interfaces," uses sensors to let a blind driver maneuver a
> car based on information transmitted to him about his
> surroundings: whether another car or object is nearby, in
> front of him or in a neighboring lane. Advocates for the
> blind consider it a "moon shot," a goal similar to President
> John F. Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon. For many
> blind people, driving a car long has been considered
> impossible. But researchers hope the project could
> revolutionize mobility and challenge long-held assumptions
> about limitations. We're exploring areas that have
> previously been regarded as unexplorable," said Dr. Marc
> Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind.
> We're moving away from the theory that blindness ends the
> capacity of human beings to make contributions to society.
> The Baltimore-based organization was announcing its plans
> for the vehicle demonstration at a news conference Friday in
> Daytona Beach, Fla. Maurer first talked about building an
> automobile that the blind could drive about a decade ago
> when he launched the organization's research institute. Some
> people thought I was crazy and they thought, 'Why do you
> want us to raise money for something that can't be done?
> Others thought it was a great idea," Maurer said. Some
> people were incredulous. Others thought the idea was
> incredible. The vehicle has its roots in Virginia Tech's
> 2007 entry into the DARPA Grand Challenge, a competition for
> driverless vehicles funded by the Defense Department's
> research arm. The university's team won third place for a
> self-driving vehicle that used sensors to perceive traffic,
> avoid crashing into other cars and objects and run like any
> other vehicle. Following their success, Virginia Tech's team
> responded to a challenge from the National Federation of the
> Blind to help build a car that could be driven by a blind
> person. Virginia Tech first created a dune buggy as part of
> a feasibility study that used sensor lasers and cameras to
> act as the eyes of the vehicle. A vibrating vest was used to
> direct the driver to speed up, slow down or make turns. The
> blind organization was impressed by the results and urged
> the researchers to keep pushing. The results will be
> demonstrated next January on a modified Ford Escape sport
> utility vehicle at the Daytona International Speedway before
> the Rolex 24 race. The latest vehicle will use nonvisual
> interfaces to help a blind driver operate the car. One
> interface, called DriveGrip, uses gloves with vibrating
> motors on areas that cover the knuckles. The vibrations
> signal to the driver when and where to turn. Another
> interface, called AirPix, is a tablet about half the size of
> a sheet of paper with multiple air holes, almost like those
> found on an air hockey game. Compressed air coming out of
> the device helps inform the driver of his or her
> surroundings, essentially creating a map of the objects
> around a vehicle. It would show whether there's another
> vehicle in a nearby lane or an obstruction in the road. A
> blind person, who has not yet been chosen, will drive the
> vehicle on a course near the famed Daytona race track and
> attempt to simulate a typical driving experience. Dr. Dennis
> Hong, a mechanical engineering professor at Virginia Tech
> who leads the research, said the technology could someday
> help a blind driver operate a vehicle but could also be used
> on conventional vehicles to make them safer or on other
> applications. Advocates for the blind say it will take time
> before society accepts the potential of blind drivers and
> that the safety of the technology will need to be proven
> through years of testing. But more than anything, they say
> it's part of a broader mission to change the way people
> perceive the blind. Mark Riccobono, executive director of
> the NFB's Jernigan Institute, said when he walks down the
> street with his 3-year-old son, many people might think he,
> as a blind person, is being guided by his son. The idea that
> a 3-year-old takes care of me stems from what they think
> about blindness," Riccobono said. That will change when
> people see that we can do something that they thought was
> impossible."   ___   Online:   National
> Federation of the Blind:  http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp 
>    © 2010 Star Tribune. All rights
> reserved.           
>    .
> > 
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>                
>         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
> Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920
> 
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