[NFB-Science] FW: [NFBCS] Seeking Expertise for Feasibility of EarPilot Collaboration

[Louis Maher]

From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Peter via NFBCS
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2026 6:54 PM
To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Peter <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Seeking Expertise for Feasibility of EarPilot Collaboration

Good evening everyone,

                This is a wonderful idea but let history be our guide. The Blind Driver Challenge was a smashing success. Both of us supported it. Since then the innovation has shifted from developing an interface to allow a blind person to drive a car independently to replacing human drivers with autonomous vehicles. This same path is happening in the World of flight. San Antonio is fast becoming a hub for autonomous air taxi and plans are in the works to create one of the first air taxi services in the country right here in the Alamo City. Don't take my word for it. Learn more at the following:

Flying taxis could launch in San Antonio, other Texas cities under new TxDOT program: https://www.ksat.com/news/2026/03/11/flying-taxis-could-launch-in-san-antonio-other-texas-cities-under-new-txdot-program/
Electric flying cars? South Texas' first vertiport gaining steam in San Antonio | Port San Antonio: https://portsanantonio.us/SkyGrid

A Texas-sized Home for Advanced Air Mobility Innovation | Port San Antonio: https://www.portsanantonio.us/AAM
Air taxis will soon be test flying across Texas skies: <https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/austin/article/texas-air-taxis-22086270.php>


Vertical takeoff air taxis could be coming to San Antonio: https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/vertical-takeoff-air-taxis-could-be-coming-to-san-antonio-texas-selected-for-test-program<%0dVertical%20takeoff%20air%20taxis%20could%20be%20coming%20to%20San%20Antonio:%20https:/news4sanantonio.com/news/local/vertical-takeoff-air-taxis-could-be-coming-to-san-antonio-texas-selected-for-test-program%0d>

                While the idea of blind persons flying aircraft independently is awesome let's not ignore the lessons of history and work to insure that human operated and autonomous VTOL aircraft can be piloted independently by the blind and in-cabin features of such aircraft are designed to be blind-friendly by including accessibility features for both blind pilots and passengers. Waymo began operation in San Antonio last month and we're looking forward to taking our first autonomous rideshare trip. Autonomous air taxi service is coming to San Antonio in the very near future.

Peter Donahue


From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Louis Maher via NFBCS
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2026 3:48 PM
To: nfbcs at nfbnet.orgs<mailto:nfbcs at nfbnet.orgs>
Cc: Louis Maher <ljmaher03 at outlook.com<mailto:ljmaher03 at outlook.com>>; chiser at nfb.org<mailto:chiser at nfb.org>
Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Seeking Expertise for Feasibility of EarPilot Collaboration

From: Hiser, Charles
Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2026 12:08 PM
To: 'johnmillerphd at hotmail.com' <johnmillerphd at hotmail.com<mailto:johnmillerphd at hotmail.com>>
Subject: Seeking Expertise for Feasibility of EarPilot Collaboration

Dear John,

My name is Charles Hiser, one of the new Accessibility Excellence Advocates on staff at the NFB Jernigan Institute. I was recently asked to collaborate with a small team of pilots in Minnesota who are designing an app that translates data from iPhone sensors into audio cues to enable a blind person to fly a plane. They are seeking technical expertise with the hopes of creating an interface that would reduce latency in the delivery of information and improve the accuracy, as well as be intuitive for blind people in a cockpit setting. They are aiming to test the idea on simulators but also want to explore how this could be brought to an aircraft. The ultimate goal is a kind of "Blind Flyer Challenge" modeled on the philosophies of the Blind Driver Challenge that the NFB most recently demonstrated with Dan Parker in 2022. I am reaching out to you to tap the members of the Science and Engineering Division to put together a small team of people who could speak to the theoretical feasibility of these goals.

While EarPilot has been proven to convey the information necessary to successfully and safely complete limited bank, pitch and turn maneuvers, it is still in the early testing phase of its lifecycle. There is no mechanism to pass information to a blind pilot to complete more drastic maneuvers, taxiing, landing or take-off. A sighted pilot must establish the aircraft in clear practice airspace before passing control to the blind pilot. Because of this, I would like to be clear in saying that the goal at the moment is to explore the potential of this project. This is not yet an endorsement by or partnership with the Federation.

My hope is to gather some experts with experience to brainstorm the practicalities of constructing and testing an interface and related components for a simulator setup that blind people could use to practice the phases of flight, as well as a more far-reaching goal of rigging an aircraft with necessary sensors to pass data with as little latency through a similar interface, incorporating the EarPilot developer in the process. We would then conference with the EarPilot team to talk over the concept and next steps. Ideally, we would come away from the session (or sessions depending on how things play out) with estimations of functional requirements, timelines, rough costs and an overall understanding of what would be needed to accomplish these goals. If all goes well, I would then propose this to President Riccobono to seek approval for collaboration.

Transparently, I do not know what backgrounds would be the most useful for SED to bring to this initiative. Your understanding of the membership would be invaluable in reaching out to potential interested parties. Please stress that this is still in very early stages and is not yet an NFB project, but we hope to understand enough of the practical pieces to make a strong proposal to President Riccobono in hopes of officially collaborating with the team.

Information about EarPilot, including the open source code of the iPhone app and demo videos, can be found at:
https://eclecticode.com/earpilot/

Thanks so much for any help and connections you can provide. As an aviation enthusiast, I would love to see this dream become reality. It would be a powerful message for the NFB to send, of course, but more to the point, it would be another concrete demonstration that blind people can do anything we want with the right tools at our disposal.


Thanks,
Charles Hiser CPACC
JAWS Certified, NVDA Certified Expert
Accessibility Excellence Advocate, Education and Employment
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
410-659-9314, extension 2239| chiser at nfb.org<mailto:chiser at nfb.org>


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