New car technology could allow the blind to drive.
Photo via Red Orbit
Driving a car can afford a person a great sense of freedom. While it isn't an environmentally friendly option, it can sometimes be a practical and necessary mode of transportation for many people living in areas that lack public transit or rural areas. But it is also a freedom afforded only to those with functioning eyes. Until now.
Researchers at Virginia Tech and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have demonstrated a prototype for a customized Ford Escape that allows a blind person to drive the vehicle entirely independently.
The key is in technology that uses sensors to detect a driver's surroundings and give non-visual feedback to allow the driver to navigate safely.
Red Orbit reports, "These include factors such as whether or not another car or object is nearby, out in front or in an adjacent lane... The researchers began by conducting a feasibility study using a dune buggy equipped with sensor lasers and cameras that acted as the "eyes" of the vehicle. A vibrating vest directed the driver to accelerate, slow down or turn."
Another version of the non-visual interface is AirPix, a 4"x5" tablet with airholes that create a map of nearby objects. It's somewhat like a braille road map for the drivers detailing nearby cars and any obstructions in the road.
The prototype will be demonstrated in January in Daytona Beach, Florida. It will be a long time before blind people will be able to hop behind the wheel and take a road trip whenever they want -- the technology has to be proven 100% safe, policies on how someone can pass a driving test have to be made, and the perception of blind drivers behind the wheel has to change among the public -- but the advancement also shows what possibilities are available for differently-abled people to do things they once thought were impossible.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the Baltimore-based NFB, stated, "We're exploring areas that have previously been regarded as unexplorable. We're moving away from the theory that blindness ends the capacity of human beings to make contributions to society."
Follow Jaymi on Twitter for more stories like this
