[nfbmi-talk] Self Driving Car Takes Blind man to Taco Bell

[Marcus Simmons]

I went to Kevin's site but my JAWS 12 would not let me complete the 
transaction. It kept going around in a vicious circle.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>; 
"'George Wurtzel'" <gmwurtzel at gmail.com>; "larry Posont" 
<President.nfb.mi at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2012 7:25 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Self Driving Car Takes Blind man to Taco Bell


> Hello,
>
>
>
> If I had a chance to use a self driving car, I'd go someplace cooler than
> Taco Bell, but, Hey, each to their own.
>
>
>
> Thanks to Kevin Reeves for this article.  By the way, have you helped him
> out with Kickstarter, yet.  It's not too late.
>
>
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
>
>
> Fred
>
>
>
> Google's self-driving car takes blind man to Taco Bell
>
> Mike Flacy
>
> March 28, 2012
>
> By
>
> Mike Flacy
>
> f3a313b3f9ac49
>
> Subscribe
>
> 224
>
> \
>
> javascript:void(0);
>
> 89
>
> google-drive-taco-bell
>
> Satisfied with the progress made on development of the 
> computer-controlled,
> self-driving
>
> car, Google offered up a preview of the technology to a blind resident of
> California.
>
> Mentioned on Google's official
>
> Google+ account
>
> recently, the development team behind the company's self-driving 
> automobile
> showed
>
> off a YouTube video detailing the journey of Steve Mahan. Mahan, CEO of 
> the
> Santa
>
> Clara Valley Blind Center, is a legally blind resident of Morgan Hill,
> California.
>
> Since Google employees have tested the self-driving Toyota Prius for more
> than 200,000
>
> miles, company officials felt confident of Mahan's safety during an outing
> to a fast
>
> food restaurant as well as a stop to pick up some dry cleaning. The
> self-driving
>
> car did make headlines during August 2011 when the vehicle rear-ended
> another Prius,
>
> but that accident was
>
> attributed to human error
>
> . The computer-operated vehicle took Mahan through the drive-through at 
> Taco
> Bell
>
> using technology like radar sensors and video cameras equipped on the
> vehicle.
>
> mahan-google-car
>
> Without a driver's license, Google had to get permission from the local
> police department
>
> to allow Mahan to sit in the driver's seat while the vehicle was in 
> motion.
> The Morgan
>
> Hill Police Department placed Sergeant Troy Hoefling in the car with Mahan
> for the
>
> duration of the trip in order to avoid any legal issues.
>
> In the video, Mahan states "
>
> 95 percent of my vision is gone. I'm well past legally blind. You lose 
> your
> timing
>
> in life; everything takes you much longer. There are some places that you
> cannot
>
> go. There are some things that you really cannot do. Where this would 
> change
> my life
>
> is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I
> both want
>
> to go and need to go when I need to do those things.
>
> "
>
> While this technology is likely many years away from becoming mainstream
> among consumers,
>
> Google has accomplished small steps towards establishing regulations that
> will allow
>
> self-driving vehicles on the road. During February 2012, Nevada became
>
> the first state
>
> to approve the use of self-driving vehicles on the roadways. Nevada state
> officials
>
> are also working on creating licensing procedures to allow car 
> manufacturers
> to test
>
> cars within the state. Nevada residents will be able to recognize these
> self-driving
>
> cars by the color of the license plate.
>
> More info
>
> Self-Driving Car Test: Steve Mahan
>
> Play
>
> Share
>
> In Case You Missed It:
>
> Nevada DMV announces regulations for self-driving cars
>
> Google petitions Nevada to allow self-driving cars
>
> California senator rides in self-driving Google car, proposes autonomous
> driving legislation
>
> Destination, home: How fully autonomous driving might come sooner than we
> think
>
> Digital Trends
>
> Digital Trends on Facebook
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/marcussimmons%40comcast.net