From the Washington Post (with video) and ABC News:
Technology developed by engineers at Virginia Tech put 20 blind drivers behind the wheel at the summer science academy organized by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
Technology developed by engineers at Virginia Tech put 20 blind drivers behind the wheel at the summer science academy organized by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
Virginia Tech developed the technology in response to a 2004 challenge from NFB for a vehicle to give more independence to people who are blind.
Pioneering driver Wesley Majerus from the National Federation of the Blind said, “At first, I was kind of nervous … But once I got the hang of how it all worked, it was liberating.”
The all-terrain vehicle is equipped with laser sensors, voice-command software, and multi-sensory signals, but engineers say the technology is still crude and needs further development.
[Dennis Hong, an associate professor at Virginia Tech who directs the robotics lab] predicts a safe, stable technology for blind motorists will arrive “within the next three years. The problem is not the technology. The problem is public perception and legal issues.”
[Dennis Hong, an associate professor at Virginia Tech who directs the robotics lab] predicts a safe, stable technology for blind motorists will arrive “within the next three years. The problem is not the technology. The problem is public perception and legal issues.”
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