[tabi] Re: a new approach for a car for the blind
- From: "Daniel Ben Moshe" <danielbenmoshe1@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 22:00:37 -0400
Wow this is cool on the surface. However lets really examine this prospect.
The reality is that the average blind person will not be able to own one of
these cars because of economics'. Also the market for such cars will be
very small. Like much of our technology, it is over priced, and leaves much
to be desired when it comes to quality. Many of our blind citizens struggle
now just to make ends meet, can you imagine the added responsibility of now
owning, and maintaining such a car? You must ask yourself, are we as a
community really ready for such an event? I think, that the research should
continue, but we ought to really keep focused on what really matters. Jobs,
Jobs, and more jobs. Because if we have the correct jobs for our blind
citizens, then we will not have to struggle just to make those ends meet.
Just my thoughts.
I'm glad to be your humble and obedient servant,
Zechen Elder Daniel Ben Moshe,
Benai Yahshuah Synagogue Of Broward County,
www.theblindcansee.org
Choose ye this day whom you will serve. If Yahweh be Elohim, then serve
him, with all of your hart. However, if bail be your master. Then serve
him. As for me, and my house. We choose, to serve Yahweh!
The late Bishop Joe Patterson told a story long ago, when I was a small
child. About Elijah, and the 450 false prophets of bail. He said that
Elijah, stood, and told the false prophets to go on ahead, because they had
a much larger program. He said that they had 450 participants, and he only
had one. Elijah, also reminded them, that they had to drag their god up the
mountain side on an ox cart. the man of yahweh, also said, that his Elohim
would be there when he arrived. He said mockingly, you go on ahead. Heck,
I will even let you call your god first. I'M going to take a nap, and when
you guys finish your foolishness, wake me up. Go ahead now, take your best
shot.
Bishop Joe O Patterson
A blessed memory
1963-1989
-----Original Message-----
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Allison and Chip Orange
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 9:42 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Re: a new approach for a car for the blind
well, it may be that an actual car for the blind which works like this never
does hit the market, but, think how much technology might be invented;
technology having to do with sensors, and conveying information from the
sensor to the blind person in some way which isn't verbal and isn't in
braille, as part of the research for this project. The space program
certainly did that, and it's often sighted as the primary benefit of the
moon landings, instead of the actual landings themselves.
So, while I agree with Barbara and "Joe" about the possible problems with
this approach, I hope the research continues.
One other point to consider is the cost? owning the average automobile
today costs something like $9000 a year (and that's a lot of cab rides right
there); can you imagine what the cost for the vehicle, and the insurance,
would be?
Chip
-----Original Message-----
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Joe Plummer
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 8:05 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Re: a new approach for a car for the blind
Hi, I don't think this is a good idea. Let me tell you why. I think at some
point in time not in my life time they will have a computer command vehicle,
that would be able to drive just about any where sort like the movie night
rider the car in it. Now this is great for us but what happens if something
fails. I don't think the blind community having the way or right to drive is
worth one person getting killed or injured in any way, especially if they
get injured badly. This is not worth having this freedom. Now if they could
apply this to maybe some kind of navigation so we would not need help
walking and shopping and cooking and doing every day stuff then this would
be nice. I think we need to focus on the small things and then go from
there. We have problems with the every day task that needs to be fixed
before we jump to driving. This is my thoughts.
sign,
Joe Plummer (JP)
joeplummer@xxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Barbara Lineberry
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 7:44 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Re: a new approach for a car for the blind
I saw something like this on TV several months ago, maybe a year ago. The
driver had a sighted person giving directions and the test was perfect. My
problem is I believe that people who are blind can do a whole lot of things,
many of them much better than me, including having a sense of direction and
getting me to a location by directing me and I think it is terrific. I'm
not so sure about the driving, because it is hard enough to drive, being
sighted, and having to deal with drunks, teenagers and people whose eyes are
failing but they won't admit it, and even cloudbursts. I read this article
and tried to imagine what things might happen. It would be amazing if
something could happen to make this possible. I didn't learn to drive until
I was 30 because it was thought my orthopedic problems were too severe. And
I've had several periods since I could drive that I was not able to for
various reasons. I know it is hard, and having the feeling of freedom is
great, but I won't always be able to drive.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Allison and Chip Orange" <acorange@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 6:15 PM
Subject: [tabi] a new approach for a car for the blind
>
> WASHINGTON (AP) -- Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are
> trying to make that far-fetched notion a reality.
> The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to
> demonstrate
> a
> prototype
> vehicle next year equipped with technology that helps a blind person
> drive
> a
> car
> independently.
> The technology, called "nonvisual interfaces," uses sensors to let a
> blind driver maneuver a car based on information transmitted to him
> about his
> surroundings: whether
> another car or object is nearby, in front of him or in a neighboring lane.
> Advocates for the blind consider it a "moon shot," a goal similar to
> President John F. Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon. For many
> blind people, driving a car long has been considered impossible. But
> researchers hope the project could revolutionize mobility and
> challenge long-held assumptions about limitations.
> "We're exploring areas that have previously been regarded as
> unexplorable,"
> said
> Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind.
> "We're moving away from the theory that blindness ends the capacity of
> human beings to make contributions to society."
> The Baltimore-based organization announced its plans for the vehicle
> demonstration at a news conference Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla.
> A blind person, who has not yet been chosen, will drive the vehicle on
> a course near the famed Daytona race track and attempt to simulate a
> typical driving experience.
> Maurer first talked about building an automobile that the blind could
> drive about a decade ago when he launched the organization's research
> institute.
> "Some people thought I was crazy and they thought, 'Why do you want us
> to raise money for something that can't be done?' Others thought it
> was a great idea,"
> Maurer said.
> "Some people were incredulous. Others thought the idea was incredible."
> The vehicle has its roots in Virginia Tech's 2007 entry into the DARPA
> Grand Challenge, a competition for driverless vehicles funded by the
> Defense Department's research arm. The university's team won third
> place for a self-driving vehicle that used sensors to perceive
> traffic, avoid crashing into other cars and objects and run like any
> other vehicle.
> Following their success, Virginia Tech's team responded to a challenge
> from the National Federation of the Blind to help build a car that
> could be driven by a blind person.
> Virginia Tech first created a dune buggy as part of a feasibility
> study that used sensor lasers and cameras to act as the eyes of the
> vehicle. A vibrating vest was used to direct the driver to speed up,
> slow down or make turns.
> The blind organization was impressed by the results and urged the
> researchers to keep pushing. The results will be demonstrated next
> January on a modified Ford Escape sport utility vehicle at the Daytona
> International Speedway before the Rolex
> 24 race.
> The latest vehicle will use nonvisual interfaces to help a blind
> driver operate the car. One interface, called DriveGrip, uses gloves
> with vibrating motors on areas that cover the knuckles. The vibrations
> signal to the driver when and where to turn.
> Another interface, called AirPix, is a tablet about half the size of a
> sheet of paper with multiple air holes, almost like those found on an
> air hockey game.
> Compressed
> air coming out of the device helps inform the driver of his or her
> surroundings, essentially creating a map of the objects around a
> vehicle. It would show whether there's another vehicle in a nearby
> lane or an obstruction in the road.
> A blind person, who has not yet been chosen, will drive the vehicle on
> a course near the famed Daytona race track and attempt to simulate a
> typical driving experience.
> Dr. Dennis Hong, a mechanical engineering professor at Virginia Tech
> who leads the research, said the technology could someday help a blind
> driver operate a vehicle but could also be used on conventional
> vehicles to make them safer or on other applications.
> Hong, who directs the school's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory,
> said they hope to turn the technology into a consumer product. But he
> added, "This is not going to be a product until its proven 100 percent
> safe."
> Advocates for the blind say it will take time before society accepts
> the potential of blind drivers and that the safety of the technology
> will need to be proven through years of testing. But more than
> anything, they say it's part of a broader mission to change the way
> people perceive the blind.
> Mark Riccobono, executive director of the NFB's Jernigan Institute,
> said when he walks down the street with his 3-year-old son, many
> people might think he, as a blind person, is being guided by his son.
> "The idea that a 3-year-old takes care of me stems from what they
> think about blindness,"
> Riccobono said. "That will change when people see that we can do
> something that they thought was impossible."
>
> Check out the TABI resource web page at
> http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABI
> and please make suggestions for new material.
>
>
>
> if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org
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>
Check out the TABI resource web page at
http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web
interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Check out the TABI resource web page at
http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web
interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Check out the TABI resource web page at
http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web
interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Check out the TABI resource web page at http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web
interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
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