Blind people could be able to drive
Last week we brought you news of a flying car getting Federal approval. Now we’ll soon be seeing (as it were) a car driven by a blind person.
The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech say they will run a demonstration at Daytona next year of a technology which allows a blind person to control a car.
It’s based on previous work by Virginia Tech to produce driverless vehicles which use sensors and cameras to avoid crashing into other cars. Researchers than modified the technology to produce a dune buggy suitable for a blind driver.
It’s arguable to what extent the person sat behind the wheel of the buggy could be described as driving, however. They were controlling the car, but were not necessarily making decisions: a vibrating vest signaled when they should speed up, slow down or turn.
That’s still partly the case in the project’s latest vehicle, a modified Ford Escape: the driver will wear gloves that vibrate to indicate upcoming turns. But they’ll now receive information about nearby vehicles and obstructions through a series of blasts of compressed air which create a “map” of the vicinity. That’s considered a key part of the development as it means the driver is making decisions and exercising skill.
Dr Dennis Hong, who is leading the project, told the Associated Press that he would like to see it become a publicly sold vehicle one day but that this won’t happen until its 100% safe. Of course, even if that did happen, driving laws would have to change to allow blind drivers.
The NFB says the project is not solely about the technology but also about challenging preconceptions about the physical limitations which blindness places on people.
The demonstration next take place as a pre-race activity at Rolex 24 at Daytona event on 29 January 2011.
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