Hi list, Priscilla, Thanks for posting this article. Found it very interesting reading indeed as lots of other blind/VI people are discussing AI powered mobility devices complimenting a cane or dog on a couple of other email groups.
Sincerely, Sadam From: viphone@googlegroups.com <viphone@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Priscilla Garces (prisci) Sent: Monday, May 24, 2021 6:55 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Could a smart backpack replace guide dogs? Researchers think so. - The Washington Post 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.” -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> . 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If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: mk...@ucla.edu. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/viphone/016f01d7504a%24656e04f0%24304a0ed0%24%40sadamahmed.com.
