Hi Ray, I want to take up your last point on the blinkeys waving a fob like device and a speaker on a lamp post making an announcement.
When I first read about GPS devices and their potential use for the blind in 2002, the article spoke of a future where the GPS network would be linked to a series of ground based stations which would not only provide better accuracy but also navigation assistance inside buildings. As part of this system all shops would have a chip which would broadcast not only the name of the shop but also provide information on any special deals.
All this information would be provided to the user through their own GPS system, or perhaps navigation system would be a better name since the device I am thinking of would incorporate more than just GPS. Of course the potential is limitless, information such as location of counter, whether there is a lift or an escalator, names of staff etc could also be provided.
I agree with you that the speaker on a poll sounds utterly nonsensical and a recipe to annoy the general public on whom we all depend.
TALKING PICTURESSome interesting thoughts indeed re. incorporating the KNFB software on a mobile phone platform, though we''ll have to waite a few years for that.
I was expecting from yesterday's post we'd hear something last night about KNFB but we didn't. May well be I got it wrong, and, come to think of it, I'm not sure Ian actually said it would be featured last night, but is it coming up next week? That is, BBC confidentiality and all that permitting.
Still, the woman at the end of the prog talking about her mobile as a replacement for a voice mate type gadget was interesting in itself. The Mobile as genral purpose mobility/notetaking/reading aid?
If I may be allowed to drift a little here - as I do so often - navigation and orientation to places of interest would seem to be the way to go. Here in Birmingham though we have what I regard as a naff experiment, and a waiste of a good deal of money too - on an experiment of mounting speakers on poles or lampposts and a blinky waving a fob-like device about for the speaker to announce the presence of a shopping centre or whatever. Is this the way forward? (Not to be confused with the guide dog command of the same name.)
Quite how professional and highly paid people get to indulge these whims is quite beyond me. When a friend pointed out that the speaking of info should be attached to the person, not the environment, he was roundly ignored for his comment. The professional way seems to be to deaf out the blind and do what ever daft, or maybe even sensible, thing enters your mind.
From Ray I can be contacted off-list at: mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
-----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Ian Macrae
Just had a look at the KNFB portable reader and it's very impressive. However, a sighted colleague has raised an interesting point. If we have phones which can talk and which have cameras on them, how long will it be and what would it take before they can do the same thing at a much smaller cost? Any thoughts?
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