Yes I am interested, now what?
-----Original Message-----
From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in
[mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Col. Pradeep
Kapoor
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 12:28 PM
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: [AI] Driving for the Blind - A dream come true
Dear Friends,
I found this snippet of news. The event pertains to the USA. Anyone
interested in India?
Col Pradeep Kapoor
Blacksburg, VA - Blind people in Virginia are getting the chance to
drive, thanks to a special dirt buggy developed by students at the
Virginia Tech College of Engineering.
The retrofitted four-wheel dirt buggy developed by the Blind Driver
Challenge team uses laser range finders, an instant voice command
interface and other innovative technologies to guide blind drivers as
they steer, brake, and accelerate.
"It was great!" said Wes Majerus of Baltimore, the first blind person to
drive the buggy on a closed course at the Virginia Tech campus this
summer. Majerus is an access technology specialist with the National
Federation of the Blind's Jernigan Institute.
Mark Riccobono takes a test drive
Rather than producing a fully-autonomous vehicle, the team designed the
vehicle so that the blind motorist has complete control of the driving
process, as any sighted driver would.
This approach led to new challenges, including how to effectively convey
the high bandwidth of information from the laser sensors scanning the
vehicle's surrounding environment to the driver fast enough and accurate
enough to allow safe driving. As a result, the team developed non-visual
interface technologies, including a vibrating vest for feedback on speed,
a click counter steering wheel with audio cues, spoken commands for
directional feedback, and a unique tactile map interface that utilizes
compressed air to provide information about the road and obstacles
surrounding the vehicle.
Once the technology is perfected, laws now barring the blind from driving
and public perception must be changed, Riccobono said.
The team is already planning major changes to the technology, including
replacing the dirt buggy vehicle with a fully electric car. The
all-electric vehicle would reduce the vibration which can cause problems
to the laser sensor, and will provide clean electric power for the
computing units.
The team will bring the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle to the National
Federation of the Blind's Youth Slam summer camp event held July 26 to
August 1 in College Park, Md.
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