I am also greatly interested. On Fri, 2009-07-17 at 22:42 +0530, Rohiet A. Patil wrote: > I am also. I would also like to do so. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "raghuraman" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 10:17 PM > Subject: Re: [AI] AccessIndia Digest, Vol 39, Issue 69 > > > > yes i am also interested. regards raghu. > > 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. > >> > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] > > with the subject unsubscribe. > > > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > > please visit the list home page at > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with > the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
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