All a person would have to do in case the software fails is to have a cane 
along with them.

If the robot worked well enough, and was not too expensive, I would use it.

Larry

 

 

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
Esther
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2021 8:34 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Could a smart backpack replace guide dogs? Researchers think so. - 
The Washington Post

 

I think this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.  What if something 
goes wrong with the software in the robot?  What then?  Nothing will replace 
either the white cane or a guide dog.  I use a cane myself and always will!

 

Esther

Sent From Esther's Amazing and Awesome iPhone 7+!





On May 23, 2021, at 9:13 PM, goshawk on horseback 
<[email protected] 
<mailto:[email protected]> > wrote:

 

that's more or less what I said as well. 

 

Simon 

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Priscilla Garces (prisci) <mailto:[email protected]>  

To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>  

Sent: Monday, May 24, 2021 1:41 AM

Subject: Re: Could a smart backpack replace guide dogs? Researchers think so. - 
The Washington Post

 

I thought it would be a good read since we’re talking about technology being 
helpful to supplement the tools we already have. 

If they had a robot dog as a guide, I’d sign up so long as the AI is suitable 
enough to help me have an easier time navigating open spaces and other settings.

 





On May 23, 2021, at 6:45 PM, goshawk on horseback 
<[email protected] 
<mailto:[email protected]> > wrote:

 

I disagree. 

there have already over this last couple of weeks alone, been conversations on 
at least 4 other e-mail lists that I am on, about possible robot guide dogs for 
example. 

 

Simon 

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: CrazyEyez <mailto:[email protected]> 

To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> 

Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2021 10:50 PM

Subject: Re: Could a smart backpack replace guide dogs? Researchers think so. - 
The Washington Post

 

honestly this is stupid. 

Another money grab.

You'll never ever replace the cane.

 

Sent from my iPhone





On May 23, 2021, at 4:54 PM, Priscilla Garces (prisci) <[email protected] 
<mailto:[email protected]> > wrote:

Hi everyone, 

Thought this might be interesting to read.

 

 


https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/25/innovations-ai-backpack-blind/


Researchers design an AI-powered backpack for the visually impaired


Artificial intelligence researchers hope the bag will one day replace canes and 
guide dogs


 <https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dalvin-brown/> Dalvin Brown  

March 25, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. EDT



Researchers at the University of Georgia created an AI-powered backpack to help 
visually impaired people navigate the outside world. (Intel)  

Among the latest iterations of next-generation assistive accessories is a 
backpack powered by Intel’s artificial intelligence software. It’s designed to 
audibly alert wearers when they’re approaching possibly hazardous situations 
like crosswalks or strangers.

The backpack, which has yet to be named, was revealed Wednesday but could face 
years of development before a consumer-ready version is launched. Still, the 
product offers a glimpse at what a future could look like as progress in AI and 
machine learning increasingly help people with vision issues better perceive 
their environments and, therefore, live more independently.

The backpack was created by researchers at the University of Georgia, who took 
existing computer vision techniques and combined them into a system that seeks 
to replace the need for a cane or guide dog.

Irony was really the driving force behind the idea, according to Jagadish K. 
Mahendran, the lead researcher at the University of Georgia who also 
specializes in computer vision for robots.

 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/19/smart-wheelchairs/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_11>
 What's next for wheelchairs? Maybe autonomy.

“I met with my visually impaired friend, and she was describing problems to me 
that she faces daily. And I was struck: For the past few years, I’ve been 
teaching robots how to see things while there are people who cannot see things 
and need help,” Mahendran said.

There’s nothing outwardly special about the backpack’s design: It looks like an 
ordinary gray knapsack with a small computer, such as a laptop, inside. A 
match-box-sized GPS unit is affixed to the outside.

In a demonstration video, the user also wears a vest with tiny holes to conceal 
an embedded AI camera. When connected to the computer, the 4K camera captures 
depth and color information used to help people avoid things like hanging 
branches. The camera can also be embedded in a fanny pack or other waist-worn 
pouches.

The spatial camera, built by the computer vision company Luxonis, can read 
signs, detect crosswalks and see coming changes in elevation.

Bluetooth earphones allow the user to communicate with the system and vice 
versa. So the wearer can ask out loud for location information, and the system 
will tell them where they are. If the camera spots a threat like an incoming 
pedestrian, it can tell the wearer.

It’s too soon to know how much such a device would cost consumers, but several 
start-ups and organizations are working to solve the same issues, and the tech 
doesn’t come cheap.

WeWALK’s smart cane with obstacle detection sells for $600, 10 times as much as 
an ordinary white cane. OrCam MyEye Pro, a wireless smart camera that reads 
what’s in front of you, runs $4,250.

 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/15/social-media-accessibility-captions/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_24>
 Social media has upped its accessibility game. But deaf creators say it has a 
long way to go.

Researchers at the University of Georgia went with a backpack design because it 
would help visually impaired people avoid unwanted attention. They used Intel’s 
Movidius computing chip because it was small and powerful enough to run 
advanced AI functions with low latency.

The next step is to raise funds and expand testing. They hope to one day 
unleash an open-source, AI-based, visual-assistance system. The researchers 
have formed a team called Mira, made up of some visually impaired volunteers.

“We want this solution to be inclusive and as transparent as possible,” 
Mahendran said. “Our main motto is to increase the involvement of visually 
impaired people in their daily activities and reduce their dependency on 
others.”

 

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