# a blind driving experience

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by laced-unlaced (Account disabled) on Thursday, 16-Jul-2009 18:15:25

Blind can take wheel with new vehicle
From:
blind-positive-thinkers-bounces@raineemusic.com on behalf of Nancy Lynn (freespirit52@charter.net)
Sent:
16 July 2009 16:22:36
To:
Missouri Chat List (chat@moblind.org); mcb List (Missouri-l@MoBlind.org); ATI list (ati@moblind.org)
Mark Riccobono, executive director of the National Federation of the Blind’s
> Jernigan Institute, drives the Virginia Tech Blind Driver Challenge
> vehicle through an obstacle course of traffic cones on a campus parking
> lot. In the passenger seat is Greg Jannaman, who led the student team
> within the mechanical engineering department during the past year, and is
> monitoring the software of the vehicle. Credit: Steven Mackay, Virginia
> Tech
>
> A student team in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering is providing
> the blind with an opportunity many never thought possible: The opportunity
> to drive.
>
> A retrofitted four-wheel dirt buggy developed by the Blind Driver
> Challenge team (
http://www.me.vt.edu/blinddriver/)
from Virginia Tech's
> Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory uses laser range finders, an instant
> voice command interface and a host of other innovative, cutting-edge
> technology to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake, and accelerate.
> Although in the early testing stage, the National Federation of the
> Blind -- which spurred the project -- considers the vehicle a major
> breakthrough for independent living of the visually impaired.
>
> "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 in Baltimore, a research and
> training institute dedicated to developing technologies and services to
> help the blind achieve independence.
>
> Majerus called his drive a liberating experience, adding that he drove
> before on Nebraska farm roads with his father as a guide in the passenger
> seat.
>
> Sitting inside the vehicle, a blind driver can turn the steering wheel,
> stop and accelerate by following data from a computing unit that uses
> sensory information from the laser range finder serving as the 'eyes' of
> the driver, in addition to a combination of voice commands and a vibrating
> vest as guides. A member of the Virginia Tech student team sat next to
> Majerus in the passenger seat to monitor the system's software operations.
>
> "It's a great first step," Majerus added. "As far as the differences
> between human instructions and those given by the voice in the Blind
> Driver Challenge car, the car's instructions are very precise. You use the
> technology to act on the environment -- the driving course -- in a very
> orderly manner. In some cases, the human passenger will be vague, "turn
> left" -- does that mean just a small turn to the left, or are we going for
> large amounts of turn?"
>
> Also driving the vehicle was Mark Riccobono, also of Baltimore, the
> executive director of the Jernigan Institute, who also is blind. He called
> his test drive historic. "This is sort of our going to the moon project,"
> he said
>
> In 2004 Jernigan Institute challenged university research teams to develop
> a vehicle that would one day allow the blind to drive. Virginia Tech was
> the only university in the nation to accept the nonprofit's call two years
> later, said Dennis Hong, director of the Robotics and Mechanisms
> Laboratory, part of the Virginia Tech mechanical engineering department.
> The National Federation of the Blind provided a $3,000 grant to launch the
> project.
>
> "I thought it would be a very rewarding project, helping the blind," said
> Hong, the current faculty adviser on the project. "We are not only excited
> about the vehicle itself, but more than that, we are excited about the
> potential of the many spin-off technologies from this project that can be
> used for helping the blind in so many ways."
>
> 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
> through Aug. 1 in College Park, Md. There, the team hopes to have
> teenagers who would be obtaining their driver's licenses, but cannot
> because of their blindness, drive the buggy.
>
> Wesley Majerus, an access technology specialist with the National
> Federation of the Blind’s Jernigan Institute, finishes driving the
> Virginia Tech Blind Driver Challenge vehicle around a roped-off driving
> course on a campus parking lot. The experience, he said, was liberating.
>
> Youth participants also are expected to remote control drive miniature
> cars. Additionally, the car is expected to ride in a National Federation
> of the Blind-sponsored parade in Washington D.C.
>
> "I most look forward to learning as much as I can from these bright young
> students," said Greg Jannaman, who led the Virginia Tech student team in
> his senior year and graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in
> mechanical engineering. "Blind students from across the nation apply to be
> selected to attend this summer camp. While we are there to provide an
> educational experience for them, I can only imagine the invaluable
> feedback and fresh new ideas that they will provide in return."
>
> Jannaman is excited about the vehicle's success. "There wasn't a moment's
> hesitation with any of our blind drivers, whereas blind-folded sighted
> drivers weren't as quick to let go of their preconceptions," said Jannaman
> of Hendersonville, Tenn. "The blind drivers actually performed better than
> their sighted counterparts. An overwhelming sense of accomplishment
> overcame me as I simply rode along while Wes and Mark successfully
> navigated the driving course without my assistance."
>
> Early models of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle relied more on
> technologies for fully autonomous vehicles, previously developed by
> Virginia Tech mechanical engineering students as part of the DARPA Urban
> Challenge. The student team redesigned the vehicle so that the blind
> motorist has complete control of the driving process, as any sighted
> driver would.
>
> This change in 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.
>
> Riccobono knows of mock ups and non-working "blind driver car" set-ups
> from the past, but says this is the first working vehicle to put the blind
> and visually impaired in control of the steering wheel. "Blind people have
> brains, the capacity to make decisions," he said. "Blind people want to
> live independent lives, why would they not want to drive?"
>
> Even once the technology is perfected, laws now barring the blind from
> driving and public perception must be changed, Riccobono said. "This is
> the piece that we know will be the most difficult," said Riccobono, adding
> that the car must be near-perfected before the National Federation of the
> Blind can truly push the car to law-makers and the general public. He said
> this effort will take millions of dollars in development.
>
> The 2009-10 student team already is planning major changes to the
> technology, including replacing the dirt buggy vehicle with a fully
> electric car commonly used by traffic officers in downtown city centers.
> The all-electric vehicle would reduce the vibration which can cause
> problems to the laser sensor, and it will provide clean electric power for
> the computing units and that is better for the environment.
>
> Source: Virginia Tech (news : web)

## Post 2 by wildebrew (We promised the world we'd tame it, what were we hoping for?) on Thursday, 16-Jul-2009 19:22:33

It]s pretty cool, although I]m a lotmore excited about any sin off technology than the supposed possibility to drive. I could, perhaps, one day, see blind people drive in urban environments at very low speeds (and then again, why not build up a better public transportation system), but I don't ever see them driving on highways at 70 mph, no matterhow good the laser sensors. The hardest thing is to interact with other drivers, something that has to be done in seconds or even milliseconds, too little time for information to be translated electronically into some sort of accessible format, studied by the blind driver and then acted upon. Nevertheless, if these types of cars ewre allowd in urban settings with, perhaps, no more than 30 mph speeds and probably less, similar to the smart vehicles some cities have introduced, it could be very cool, combine this with a gps and you can gain some level of independence with regrds to shopping and going new places. I think the future is heade3d towards less driving and more public transportation, or I hope so, since cars are actually a very wasteful type of vehicle, but nevertheless, developing such a concept project can not only provide a blueprint for some type of a city vehicle of the future but also, like I started out by saying, could create all sorts of technology that we can utilize elsewhere and apply in other areas, not only for the blind but also in the area of automation and robotics.
cheers
-B

## Post 3 by turricane (happiness and change are choices ) on Friday, 17-Jul-2009 16:57:43

Instead of working on this project, which is interesting, I'd like to see more effort going in to the GPS and public transportation. Driving is not the be all and end all of life.
Getting to places in a timely manner, and navigating independently through one's neighborhood are much more valuable. Of more interest to me woule be a gps that is as accurate and cheap as the ones our sighted counterparts regularly use and take so for granted. I realize this is a dream, but whoever got shot for having those.

## Post 4 by wildebrew (We promised the world we'd tame it, what were we hoping for?) on Friday, 17-Jul-2009 17:45:38

Well, MLK for one, got shot for having a dream, even one as simple as "why the heck can't we jut get along".
But I agree with you, I think the U.S. is way to auto centric, and I really hope to see this change in near future, it's such an amazing improvement in Europe, to be able to travel by busses and trains and to live where people can get by happily without even owning a car.

## Post 5 by cumbiambera2005 (i just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 18-Jul-2009 1:12:58

well I hate walking so I'd love to be able to drive. Yay for driving! Doubt it would happen though, but I for sure would never go against this, nfb or no nfb, and true, I can dream can't I? Lol!

## Post 6 by Feathered Serpent (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Sunday, 19-Jul-2009 2:09:43

waw, I have always dreamed of having a car some day. But still would be hesitant to driving one.

## Post 7 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 19-Jul-2009 15:44:58

Personally,I think both issues can be worked on: the driving as described in the article, and improvements to public transportation. Why does it have to be one or the other. I've driven before, though not like this, and it's a great experience. I'd drive my own car in a heartbeat, if there was ever a way to do it. Until then, I am happy with Denver's public transit which allows me to be independent.

## Post 8 by turricane (happiness and change are choices ) on Monday, 20-Jul-2009 12:30:48

i have driven a lot before and love it. empty beaches are great for that. i agree that both things can be addressed simultaneously. my thought was that I'm sick of the who world revolving around the car.

## Post 9 by jamesk (This site is so "educational") on Monday, 20-Jul-2009 23:41:54

I would love to drive. Can you say the first blind stock car driver?
Flat on the floor all the way, baby!! Keep up the great work!