tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41630134882131560242024-02-01T20:17:03.794-08:00Blind Driver ChallengeThe National Federation of the Blind's initiative to develop nonvisual interface technologies that will convey real-time information allowing a blind person to safely and independently drive a car. Helping the Federation realize this dream are the Virginia Tech College of Engineering and TORC Technologies.Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-81434971042936650922011-10-26T08:17:00.000-07:002011-10-26T08:19:37.238-07:00Bloomberg TV News reports on Blind Driver Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzMDdjx-WAog-Zw1BvmPNm87dW9I7KD5nU_IkkW4hC61cNrJFMvrHR5QWCktrqSuuAHr4dGH79KllgFhBLgYSXfy0LB9TdfCZNJqPol-Pur-JCB7HU-0PaohW3N-fTtBal1sUHDlEhlo/s1600/mark+and+dennis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="230" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzMDdjx-WAog-Zw1BvmPNm87dW9I7KD5nU_IkkW4hC61cNrJFMvrHR5QWCktrqSuuAHr4dGH79KllgFhBLgYSXfy0LB9TdfCZNJqPol-Pur-JCB7HU-0PaohW3N-fTtBal1sUHDlEhlo/s320/mark+and+dennis.JPG" /></a></div>Bloomberg TV's Sheila Dharmarajan <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTMFWvKqRUM">reports</a> on the Blind Driver Challenge, a vehicle prototype that allows blind people to drive. The automobile's robotics technology, created by Dennis Hong, a professor at Virginia Tech, is designed with various sensors that signal the visually impaired to command the vehicle. Mark Riccobono, executive director of the National Federation of the Blind, also talks about the importance of equality and "taking control of the car if I need to." <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTMFWvKqRUM">Video courtesy of Bloomberg News</a>.<br />
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Also check out Bloomberg's <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/video/75094732/">video report</a> on Dennis Hong's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory.<br />
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<i>Photo of Mark Riccobono and Dennis Hong by Steven Mackay.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-76682439292856197272011-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:002011-10-05T08:27:32.289-07:007 Tech Breakthroughs That Empower People With Disabilities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS0fPKTAXr55Yvg6SkDhvl1uGCCuw47xEzYjWG9MxSKt0kdgUGlYVZxezXy_LQo5bBF8XDdY2r5tR_QvK_-HRvos06O63mxuJ6lnNGTOmsVXZRMG5KJxFb-IssIIxT39FzcuyWlbsQ2E/s1600/dennis+nice+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS0fPKTAXr55Yvg6SkDhvl1uGCCuw47xEzYjWG9MxSKt0kdgUGlYVZxezXy_LQo5bBF8XDdY2r5tR_QvK_-HRvos06O63mxuJ6lnNGTOmsVXZRMG5KJxFb-IssIIxT39FzcuyWlbsQ2E/s320/dennis+nice+shot.jpg" /></a></div><i>The Blind Driver Challenge makes No. 3 on this list of new tech made to help those with disabilities. Writer Kelly Shaver focuses on Virginia Tech Associate Professor Dennis Hong and the future spin-off technologies of the BDC...</i><br />
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<b>Text by Kelly Shaver</b><br />
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Adaptive technology is a fairly new term, but the basic idea is not. Some adaptive devices are simple, like the cane, which has a history as old as mankind itself. Others seem to come more from the realm of science fiction.<br />
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However mundane or complicated, all are a testament to human determination, creativity and ambition. Here, we look at seven high-tech assistive devices and how they’re helping those with disabilities lead full and fulfilling lives.<br />
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<a href="http://mashable.com/2011/10/05/tech-disabled/">Read more...</a><br />
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<i>Image above courtesy TED2011.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-69663643259696409952011-10-05T08:19:00.000-07:002011-10-05T08:20:33.259-07:00Take the Blind Driver Challenge at festival, by 'Daily Times'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e54xC8jhHx3ZDvfkS2reu8ZirhZGlWizjMjY0NX2gqmhwr9tjuYmkFWnaQfjSPQMH7EAm3zzQ0ul8FjoQVro7SPBkyn40QnzB1CyiURWdjtOzvPGBwHrt6tkCNNPbn6Y0TkVJf41lKM/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e54xC8jhHx3ZDvfkS2reu8ZirhZGlWizjMjY0NX2gqmhwr9tjuYmkFWnaQfjSPQMH7EAm3zzQ0ul8FjoQVro7SPBkyn40QnzB1CyiURWdjtOzvPGBwHrt6tkCNNPbn6Y0TkVJf41lKM/s320/DSC_0073.JPG" /></a></div>KIPTOPEKE -- Visitors to the 2011 Harvest Festival are invited to take the Blind Driver Challenge at the Eastern Shore Center for Independent Living tent.<br />
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Software developed at Virginia Tech to enable blind people to drive will be on display in a simulated driving module.<br />
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The Blind Driver Challenge evolved as a result of blind people who felt they had established independence in various arenas of their lives but did not have the luxury nor the privilege to drive, especially after having conquered so many obstacles that were deemed impossible for the blind.<br />
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The National Federation of the Blind, which seeks to improve the lives of blind people by advocacy and the pursuit of advancing technology, partnered with Virginia Tech to develop software and interfacing that would enable a blind person to operate a motor vehicle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20111005/ESN01/110050318/Take-the-Blind-Driver-Challenge-at-festival?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Eastern%20Shore%20News|s">Read more...</a>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-80116058397840133872011-09-27T11:11:00.000-07:002011-10-05T08:15:33.745-07:00Busy September for Blind Drive Challenge vehicles...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlmFiYw1r_3np1e2Vtv1Db7W1g2d1yi3DqQVWKK5LH1iG8duSpW56-vBe7BPBaWVNMMgvL8FICDwcsz82BJEkxsGSDBdTC1gSUOkb5cdmMGtekju__1g8Zcwv6Zcg_5hdaEWir-7_ryw/s1600/photo+h.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlmFiYw1r_3np1e2Vtv1Db7W1g2d1yi3DqQVWKK5LH1iG8duSpW56-vBe7BPBaWVNMMgvL8FICDwcsz82BJEkxsGSDBdTC1gSUOkb5cdmMGtekju__1g8Zcwv6Zcg_5hdaEWir-7_ryw/s320/photo+h.JPG" /></a></div>September has been a busy month for the Blind Challenge project with – as of this posting – a story just aired on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” and other stories planned from “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer,” ESPN for the halftime spot on 1 October, 2011, and a story by Bloomberg News TV. Below are links to stories by “The (Pittsburgh) Tribune” and from “Anderson Cooper 360.”<br />
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The attention, some nine months after the newest debut of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle at the Daytona International Speedway track, shows the impact that the National Federation of the Blind’s initiative started. As the NFB stated at the launch of the project, “The ‘Challenge’ is not the development of an autonomous car that drives a blind person around, but to develop a non-visual interface for a car that can convey real-time information about driving conditions to the blind so that we can use our own capacity to think and react to interpret these data and maneuver a car safely.”<br />
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Here's the "Anderson Cooper 360" clip featuring CNN correspondent Tom Foreman behind the wheel of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle and talking to RoMeLa Director Dennis Hong. (In the image above, Foreman is wearing the blindfold, facing camera.)<br />
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<a href="http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/23/video-the-connection-blind-drivers/"><b>Video: The Connection: Blind Drivers</b></a><br />
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From “The (Pittsburgh) Tribune-Review”<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_758725.html?_s_icmp=NetworkHeadlines">Franklin Regional junior in 5-day science program for visually impaired youth<br />
By Paul Paterra</a></b><br />
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Tommy Brown has been fascinated by cars and how they work since he was a toddler.<br />
"When I was young, I loved to play with cars," said Brown, 16, of Murrysville. "For a while, I've been interested in the building aspect."<br />
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With that in mind, the visually impaired teenager is working toward his dream of becoming an engineer, taking another step when he enrolled in Youth Slam in the summer.<br />
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"Mentors for (Youth Slam) are blind, visually impaired," Brown said. "I talked to them to see what they do, how they do it and what equipment they use ... to help me do a similar job."<br />
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Youth Slam is a five-day STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — academy held every two years for 150 visually impaired teens from across the country with "successfully blind" adults serving as mentors. The program, held at Towson University in Maryland, is sponsored by the nonprofit National Federation of the Blind…<br />
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<a href="http://">Read more…</a><br />
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Stay tuned for more coverage of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle.Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-20277304796367462052011-08-22T06:49:00.000-07:002011-08-22T06:51:10.103-07:00RoboNexus reports, "TORC, VA Tech, U.S. Military Creating Cutting-Edge Technologies by Partnering"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPtN1au0abVrV_Z5NnDOjuwn8WVCdyif6ySrFu1yRRnYwsAZSM84BWxjVIVJ8chjjVCDIG_Kyj1L-7eAvOd9X7md6PZnChEHN_SrB9DuW40qwxFEg2YpMDmJtokNKmq1WWMrHa9BTEwU/s1600/DSC_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="154" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPtN1au0abVrV_Z5NnDOjuwn8WVCdyif6ySrFu1yRRnYwsAZSM84BWxjVIVJ8chjjVCDIG_Kyj1L-7eAvOd9X7md6PZnChEHN_SrB9DuW40qwxFEg2YpMDmJtokNKmq1WWMrHa9BTEwU/s320/DSC_0104.JPG" /></a></div>From a report by RoboNexus, Ellen Cotton writes, "TORC's modified Ford Escape is packed with non-visual interface devices technologies designed by VA Tech Engineering students to allow blind drivers to operate the vehicle, which it did on Jan. 29, 2011, at Daytona International Speedway as part of the ongoing Blind Driver Challenge. Technologies in the vehicle include the ByWire XGV mentioned above. It also includes gloves called DriveGrips and a seat cushion called SpeedStrip, which vibrate to give the driver certain cues that indicate directions to accelerate or halt, turn right or left. The vehicles can “see” obstacles and the road ahead through strategically placed laser range finders and cameras."<br />
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<a href="http://www.robonexus.com/article/auvsi_coverage_partnerships_crucial_to_robotics_technology_advancements">Read more</a>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-59329811708315826752011-07-27T10:33:00.000-07:002011-07-27T10:44:39.164-07:00ABC News visits Youth Slam camp, takes BDC vehicles for a demo drive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs2djl6YvuXgEVdGTXlQlKr0Zmno3w1sbY56u62RNNpmvARxusvgzpVJYEowCPfuKkGeR2VcJwKidD3hIeARsaHcLCPXf4a2IAEcbxQp9eQxGhpgYlMhnW-wmh5wdIs5hle3itphrG58/s1600/dennis+and+juju.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="248" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs2djl6YvuXgEVdGTXlQlKr0Zmno3w1sbY56u62RNNpmvARxusvgzpVJYEowCPfuKkGeR2VcJwKidD3hIeARsaHcLCPXf4a2IAEcbxQp9eQxGhpgYlMhnW-wmh5wdIs5hle3itphrG58/s400/dennis+and+juju.JPG" /></a></div>The National Federation of the Blind hosted its STEM-inspired Youth Slam camp last week in Baltimore. The camp's mission, according to a NFB website: "Engage and inspire the next generation of blind youth to consider careers falsely believed to be impossible for the blind and bring a unified voice to the next generation of blind professionals." <br />
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ABC News stopped by the morning of July 22 for a demo of the <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/bdcg/default.asp">Blind Driver Challenge</a> vehicles. Later, students at the camp had the chance to ride in the cars, driven by the NFB's Mark Riccobono and Anil Lewis. <br />
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In the image above, Virginia Tech Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) Director Dennis Hong and ABC News' Juju Chang wave their hellos from one of the BDC vehicles. Chang, wearing sleeper shades, took the wheel of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle as part of a show focusing on Hong's work that will air in September. <br />
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For more photos, visit our Facebook page: <a href="http://on.fb.me/pzJjee">http://on.fb.me/pzJjee</a><br />
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<i>All photos by Steven D. A. Mackay.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-46919335024968185762011-07-18T09:29:00.000-07:002011-07-18T09:29:18.024-07:00Wired's Autopia Blog: 'Ford Proves That Blind Drivers Can Learn A Stick Shift'<i>Administrator's Note: This report by "Wired" magazine talks about a separate project to help the blind drive, but mentions in detail the Blind Driver Challenge...</i><br />
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Ford of Europe let 30 blind and visually impaired drivers get behind the wheel at their test track in Cologne, Germany in an attempt to give blind people a better understanding of automobiles and examine how they interact with cars.<br />
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Last week’s test drives put drivers in control of all vehicle inputs, responding to the directions of a sighted driving instructor. The fastest driver got their Fiesta up to 74 mph, and Ford reported that all drivers quickly mastered the fine art of a stick shift through feel and sound.<br />
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“Driving it was not a big problem for me,” said driver Katrin Berus of Kleve, Germany. “Operating clutch and gearshift was easier than I expected.”<br />
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<a href="http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/07/ford-proves-that-blind-drivers-can-learn-a-stick-shift/">Read more...</a>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-89085195731165164372011-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:002011-07-27T07:11:08.958-07:00CNN presents TED Talk reports: 'Why we made a car for blind drivers'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEied4RL7yVKKBTyUoo8ykqIPsM0mDaJmgm7QRbzUGmQZ8QYhAcDjfvqsYuQza6SZvz2nGzou1CPCqd2G_ZWrNgUhWgDm9O5F2UfA8PKDcBzbA_Eap6RJKalXUjEXB6fCzFY1or3BhQLW4c/s1600/dennis+nice+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEied4RL7yVKKBTyUoo8ykqIPsM0mDaJmgm7QRbzUGmQZ8QYhAcDjfvqsYuQza6SZvz2nGzou1CPCqd2G_ZWrNgUhWgDm9O5F2UfA8PKDcBzbA_Eap6RJKalXUjEXB6fCzFY1or3BhQLW4c/s320/dennis+nice+shot.jpg" /></a></div><i>Text by Dennis Hong, director of the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech.</i><br />
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Blacksburg, Virginia (CNN) -- In our modern society, driving is really a necessity. It is a means of getting you to your destination wherever, whenever. Driving is also fun. Some people even consider it an expression of power. Most importantly, driving is really about freedom, about independence.<br />
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Sighted people, myself included, do it every day and take it for granted. Unfortunately, because of physical challenges, not everyone has the privilege to drive. My team of researchers wants to find a way to give the blind the ability to drive.<br />
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When we first announced that we were going to take up this challenge, many thought we were crazy, and most of the critics doubted that it could be done. Even some of my colleagues challenged us on the idea of developing a vehicle for the blind.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/17/hong.car.blind.drivers/">Read more...</a><br />
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<i>Image courtesy TED Talk</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-269471370036890312011-06-30T05:39:00.000-07:002011-06-30T05:41:01.340-07:00NFB congratulates Blind Driver Experience participants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGr_S3U5QolfI5YOXolEvllJI9wnfJzrNatOdJtx5lUNwjIMmvvWa8IofzR4N99FZMTJn4VYgvuyVZmtfhfDwRncK0Tagxy6Q3iyqzaFRt5KX41Lss6CM5izoXoqi1KJaLrJui6W2rSs/s1600/New+BDC+vehicle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="232" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGr_S3U5QolfI5YOXolEvllJI9wnfJzrNatOdJtx5lUNwjIMmvvWa8IofzR4N99FZMTJn4VYgvuyVZmtfhfDwRncK0Tagxy6Q3iyqzaFRt5KX41Lss6CM5izoXoqi1KJaLrJui6W2rSs/s320/New+BDC+vehicle.jpg" /></a></div>[Administrator's note: From a press release by the National Federation of the Blind.]<br />
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Baltimore, Maryland (June 24, 2011): The <a href="http://www.nfb.org">National Federation of the Blind</a> (NFB), the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind people, today congratulated the thirty people who won the honor of participating in the Blind Driver Experience. On Tuesday, July 5, from 1–6:00 p.m., as part of the NFB National Convention in Orlando, the winners will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride in the Blind Driver Challenge™ car equipped with nonvisual technology (the same car that was driven on the famed Daytona International Speedway on January 29, 2011). <br />
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The participants of the Blind Driver Experience will be driven in the official <a href="http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/impact/2011-02-28-bdc/daytona.html">Blind Driver Challenge</a> vehicle by Mark Riccobono, executive director of the NFB Jernigan Institute, and the first blind person to drive a street vehicle in public. <br />
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The Blind Driver Experience is an initiative of the NFB Imagination Fund, which supports the education, technology, and research projects of the NFB Jernigan Institute, as well as programs conducted by the fifty-two affiliates and over seven-hundred local chapters of the Federation.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nfb.org/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=812">Read more...</a><br />
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<i>Photo by John McCormick, <a href="http://www.vt.edu/">Virginia Tech</a></i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-78554538962199658722011-05-31T07:55:00.000-07:002011-05-31T07:57:29.183-07:00From TED2011: Dennis Hong: Making a car for blind drivers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdRYEDpTQpqs0hK0ANTC6p_gVuf5MYSUzKwUapv8KztSP63Zqsyfa5r5cnZAlp9FNjl8G5kfpWfETGT-jSfkHacAuBVni916D0qUoX3hTrF6qtfZt1sbYZ9R0qM3Ti9ze8v_exO-UFtA/s1600/5495537858_bbafe96127_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdRYEDpTQpqs0hK0ANTC6p_gVuf5MYSUzKwUapv8KztSP63Zqsyfa5r5cnZAlp9FNjl8G5kfpWfETGT-jSfkHacAuBVni916D0qUoX3hTrF6qtfZt1sbYZ9R0qM3Ti9ze8v_exO-UFtA/s320/5495537858_bbafe96127_o.jpg" /></a></div>From the international <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_making_a_car_for_blind_drivers.html">TED2011 event</a>: Using robotics, laser rangefinders, GPS and smart feedback tools, Dennis Hong is building a car for drivers who are blind. It's not a "self-driving" car, he's careful to note, but a car in which a non-sighted driver can determine speed, proximity and route -- and drive independently. <br />
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Hong, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech spoke about the Blind Driver Challenge project and its <a href="http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/impact/2011-02-28-bdc/daytona.html">Daytona Rolex24 debut</a> at the TED2011 event, held in early March in Long Beach, Calif. Among his fellow speakers: Bill Gates, Bill Ford and Roger Ebert. Watch the <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_making_a_car_for_blind_drivers.html">video</a>.<br />
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Image of Dennis Hong on the TED stage is courtesy of TED2011.Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-67333441410294180232011-05-31T07:43:00.000-07:002011-05-31T07:46:55.006-07:00From 'Popular Science': How a Blind Man Drove the Daytona Speedway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gYEtINSswDkiipX-XYKzkUOiqoOlCfV88EFQG7AfiLgVm2AxRGqLN4Ngcb1WY-pMBDmgjsKiAgpezjrPbMC3qPsNIOJNK0BZlWrI589ntYN6JEYLFj7tkVe4D1ogsBP_hs2PMcAVDlY/s1600/riccobono+done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gYEtINSswDkiipX-XYKzkUOiqoOlCfV88EFQG7AfiLgVm2AxRGqLN4Ngcb1WY-pMBDmgjsKiAgpezjrPbMC3qPsNIOJNK0BZlWrI589ntYN6JEYLFj7tkVe4D1ogsBP_hs2PMcAVDlY/s320/riccobono+done.JPG" /></a></div><b>By Juliet Lapidos</b><br />
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Mark Anthony Riccobono, who is blind, drove a modified Ford Escape hybrid on the Daytona International Speedway, turning to avoid obstacles. He navigated using feedback from the car’s laser sensors and cameras, installed by a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and the company Torc Technologies. PopSci spoke by phone to Riccobono, the executive director of the National Federation of the Blind’s Jernigan Institute, which researches new technology for the blind.<br />
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<b>How did you know when to turn?</b><br />
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The car’s laser range-finding sensors sent data to a computer, which in turn sent me directional information. I was wearing gloves with motors in the knuckle.... <br />
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<a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-04/driving-blind">Read more...</a><br />
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Image of Mark Riccobono by Steven D. A. Mackay.Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-78362119325920901382011-04-11T07:38:00.000-07:002011-04-11T07:44:26.911-07:00Blind Driver Challenge: Technology that Puts Blind People in the Driver's Seat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi119s9u6V05R6KxnZiAtEo_mb9s_8JW8SPFwI4bHDf2kQ6zY3ASHlFs87p_XgEwo_JDM5PHgCjx5egdacBn0hNVSx93QulIw7WlOezuRvLeLpakEZDLeHX3o0CaNswt6lhd1enmvBoDOU/s1600/surrounded.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi119s9u6V05R6KxnZiAtEo_mb9s_8JW8SPFwI4bHDf2kQ6zY3ASHlFs87p_XgEwo_JDM5PHgCjx5egdacBn0hNVSx93QulIw7WlOezuRvLeLpakEZDLeHX3o0CaNswt6lhd1enmvBoDOU/s320/surrounded.JPG" /></a></div><b>From "Access World"</b><br />
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By Deborah Kendrick<br />
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Five years ago, when I first heard Dr. Betsy Zaborowski, then executive director for the Jernigan Institute at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), speak about a car that blind people could drive, I remember thinking, Yes, that could be possible. At the time, I knew about cars with motion detectors that could sense the proximity of another vehicle, and I'd read about cars that were programmed to stay in the proper lane. I, like many others, assumed Dr. Zaborowski was talking about a programmable car—a car that could automatically take a blind person to a programmed address or set of coordinates, similar to the way GPS works.<br />
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That's also what Dr. Dennis Hong, professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, first thought when he was approached by the NFB to collaborate on a project that would enable a blind person to drive a car. After all, students at Virginia Tech had already developed an autonomous vehicle that could drive without a human. Dr. Hong soon learned, however, that an autonomous car was not at all what those at the NFB imagined. They wanted a car that would literally put a blind person in the driver's seat, detecting obstacles, determining turns, and making decisions.<br />
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"What can't you do?" is a question that most blind people hear from sighted friends and colleagues at one time or another. For me, the answer used to come easily: "I can't read print and I can't drive."<br />
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<a href="http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw120402">Read more...</a><br />
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<i>Image of Mark Riccobono at the wheel of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>.Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-15699083683000259892011-03-25T11:48:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:21:04.380-07:00Blind, and want to ride in the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WtPeiBPOsZFT_NbQCHrgiyD6n2EVNgWw5bP4jVjIA40UfBSkxPfgvYOeFj9n69gJC-pS1MrOqWyRChfS3lDrpsmfKu2MqzwZoioMp5jokJcs5KYGCeb2h79-3AAF6Omir-vwoTTKiTI/s1600/post+box+dodge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="167" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WtPeiBPOsZFT_NbQCHrgiyD6n2EVNgWw5bP4jVjIA40UfBSkxPfgvYOeFj9n69gJC-pS1MrOqWyRChfS3lDrpsmfKu2MqzwZoioMp5jokJcs5KYGCeb2h79-3AAF6Omir-vwoTTKiTI/s320/post+box+dodge.JPG" /></a></div>The <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/bdcg/About_the_Blind_Driver_Challenge.asp#Experience">Blind Driver Challenge</a> reached an important milestone on January 29, 2011, when the first public demonstration of a blind person independently operating an automobile using non-visual interfaces was successfully held at the Daytona International Speedway. <br />
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This achievement comes from the commitment and dedication of National Federation of the Blind members across the country. Whether it is the NFB's Blind Driver Challenge, the education programs, or any of the dozens of programs and services provided by NFB at the local or national level, it always begins with gathering the resources required to build our dreams for the future.<br />
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The NFB Imagination Fund is a primary source for the financial resources needed to build new programs. Those who help to collect those resources have the satisfaction of contributing to our future success. At our National Convention in Orlando, Fla., those who help raise considerable resources for the NFB Imagination Fund also will get to have their own Blind Driver Experience.<br />
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What is the <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/bdcg/About_the_Blind_Driver_Challenge.asp#Experience">Blind Driver Experience</a>?<br />
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* An incredible opportunity for you and up to three of your friends to ride in the Blind Driver Challenge car -- the same car that was <a href="http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/impact/2011-02-28-bdc/daytona.html">driven on the famed Daytona International Speedway</a> -- while it is driven by a skilled blind driver<br />
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* An exclusive occasion to witness, up close, the non-visual access technology that makes it possible for a blind person to drive while experiencing a ride in the second-generation Blind Driver Challenge vehicle<br />
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* A unique chance to dialogue with a trained blind driver about the technology, the experience of testing the technology, and future interfaces for blind driving.<br />
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Thirty of this year’s Imaginators will have the honor of participating in the Blind Driver Experience during the convention. The top 10 Imaginators in overall dollars raised will automatically be selected to participate. The remaining twenty spots will be drawn at random from the pool of individuals who raised at least $1,000 and who plan to be in attendance at the convention.<br />
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In order to be eligible to participate in the Blind Driver Experience you must:<br />
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* Register for the Race for Independence (<a href="http://www.raceforindependence.org/site/PageServer">www.raceforindependence.org</a>, or call (410) 659-9314 ext. 2371)<br />
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* Raise at least $1,000 or more, no later than June 15, 2011<br />
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* Register for the 2011 National Convention<br />
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* If selected, be available at the appointed time during the convention (participating individuals will be assigned a ride time on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 5)<br />
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<i>Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-38340435364585514972011-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:002011-03-07T12:36:08.660-08:00Discovery Canada's 'Daily Planet' features Riccobono, Hong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-WgvX6U_rl1yPKUZm2cgg1TmJ29jJwgO5sY53oLFGZE6JPEm5t6In5yvo_M5_n4UeXpT5bwBKYsRmwG44RkywjnlFTAd-xSqp0eJkVx9t6hapomDCGnvO7KK-PoJQLP02a3f9zF9Hig/s1600/DSC_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="174" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-WgvX6U_rl1yPKUZm2cgg1TmJ29jJwgO5sY53oLFGZE6JPEm5t6In5yvo_M5_n4UeXpT5bwBKYsRmwG44RkywjnlFTAd-xSqp0eJkVx9t6hapomDCGnvO7KK-PoJQLP02a3f9zF9Hig/s320/DSC_0128.JPG" /></a></div>Two days after making history as the first person to drive the Daytona International Speedway unassisted, <a href="http://www.nfb.org/nfb/MRiccobono_bio.asp">Mark Riccobono</a> talked with Jay Ingram of Discovery Canada’s “Daily Planet” television program. <a href="http://www.romela.org/main/Dr._Dennis_Hong">Dennis Hong</a> of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech also joined the talk, discussing the five years in the making high-tech efforts behind the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle. This <a href="http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/clip427388#clip427388">talk</a> -- featuring footage of the Jan. 29 debut -- was recorded Jan. 31 at the Daytona International Speedway’s winners circle.<br />
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<i>Mark Riccobono talks with media at Daytona's celebrated winners circle. Image by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-6483585168908791892011-03-07T10:55:00.000-08:002011-03-07T10:55:02.163-08:00From 'Fast Company': Welcome to the TED Revival: Blind People Drive, Paralyzed People Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ypODRY86oMXsletD6H3AictDu0chcKRn9-eK8Uh6b2ARZozF9IsBSZkcekptiB8S-XOLLuS4hPkL8mb9WpPFD_ZdEfsPDdhDSf-wYkV74Yfi4mGz8_Gr_sxPkzIPrCTjCNNHejvmhTA/s1600/big+smile+dennis+track.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="230" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ypODRY86oMXsletD6H3AictDu0chcKRn9-eK8Uh6b2ARZozF9IsBSZkcekptiB8S-XOLLuS4hPkL8mb9WpPFD_ZdEfsPDdhDSf-wYkV74Yfi4mGz8_Gr_sxPkzIPrCTjCNNHejvmhTA/s320/big+smile+dennis+track.JPG" /></a></div><b>From 4 March 2011:</b> Yesterday morning at TED resembled an old-time faith-healing session--except instead of the Bible, the force was technology.<br />
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First Dennis Hong presented the results of his robotics lab RoMeLa's collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind. They equipped a car with an accelerometer, GPS, two cameras, and laser rangefinders, and then created a set of novel nonvisual interfaces--vibrating gloves and seat mats, and a brand-new screen called the AirPix that looks like a tiny air hockey table. It uses puffs of air like pixels to create an "image" of obstacles in the road ahead... <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1734356/blind-people-drive-paralyzed-people-walk-at-ted">Read More</a>.<br />
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<i>Dennis Hong at Daytona International Speedway, 29 January 2011. Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-73189647783745411792011-03-07T10:16:00.000-08:002011-03-07T10:45:45.843-08:00Blind Driver Challenge appears on 'MotorWeek'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiWvGmvW1jc1eZQcSX3_yhhtit3Xx2XWZlQ4e2vS3YHuZ8Vu0BckFzIGHuxppSQPmNM_udwKNfS2Cs6h2KeI7sT9y-jnjRQ92xMnZkwyUdWMM-CYlNyRBU2EkgEbsJOBGbsdjKtVXNdM/s1600/marc+relaxed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiWvGmvW1jc1eZQcSX3_yhhtit3Xx2XWZlQ4e2vS3YHuZ8Vu0BckFzIGHuxppSQPmNM_udwKNfS2Cs6h2KeI7sT9y-jnjRQ92xMnZkwyUdWMM-CYlNyRBU2EkgEbsJOBGbsdjKtVXNdM/s320/marc+relaxed.JPG" /></a></div>Weeks before the National Federation of the Blind’s <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/">Blind Driver Challenge</a> vehicle took the course at Daytona International Speedway, MotorWeek’s Yolanda Vazquez was following the story in Virginia – at Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg home – and then in Florida – for the big public debut. Here, from an episode of “<a href="http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/">MotorWeek</a>” is her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/motorweek?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/4/vymiXDqK1q4">report, titled "Blind Man Driving</a>." Featured are Virginia Tech’s Dennis Hong, Paul D’Angio and Ryan Colby, with TORC Technologies’ Jesse Hurdus, and the National Federation of the Blind’s Marc Maurer, Kevan Worley and Mark Riccobono, among others.<br />
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<i> Image: Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of Blind, enjoys a quiet moment surrounded by his supporters at a press conference dedicated to the Blind Driver Challenge. Mr. Maurer is featured in this Motorweek segment. photo by Steven D. A. Mackay.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-77868762070268925212011-03-07T10:07:00.000-08:002011-03-07T10:07:00.736-08:00From "NEMS360.com": Road ready?: Blind Driver Challenge creates optimism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImIMwjo98UR2djOwmK2qB99gnD4L5o6HVb45R_60BauiPV9Gu8EaVvom8qDQNO5Qlh7ewKi7GrG7I6KV9eT9M3OTncajCP0FsOEO07TdewEMzOkcq6apHe-TsKcIcANktSBbE1sLMkqg/s1600/Picture+098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="166" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImIMwjo98UR2djOwmK2qB99gnD4L5o6HVb45R_60BauiPV9Gu8EaVvom8qDQNO5Qlh7ewKi7GrG7I6KV9eT9M3OTncajCP0FsOEO07TdewEMzOkcq6apHe-TsKcIcANktSBbE1sLMkqg/s320/Picture+098.jpg" /></a></div>TUPELO - The idea of a blind man driving may seem like a fantasy or a stunt, but Ken Eskew has seen it happen.<br />
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In January, he drove to Daytona, Fla., to witness the National Federation of the Blind's Blind Driver Challenge.<br />
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"I drove 1,800 miles round trip to see that car in action," Eskew, 50, said.<br />
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A blind man took the wheel of a Ford Escape equipped with non-visual technology, and drove a mile and a half around the Daytona International Speedway track.<br />
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With help from a system developed by Virginia Tech and TORC Technologies, the driver used cues... <a href="http://nems360.com/bookmark/12196252">Read more</a>.<br />
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<i>Image: National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute Executive Director and BDC driver Mark Riccobono takes on the famed Daytona track. Photo by Suzanne Shaffer, an art director at the National Federation of the Blind.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-79161152255373956922011-03-07T09:59:00.000-08:002011-03-07T10:08:51.886-08:00Blind Driver Challenge appears on NBC's "Today Show"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0jPoxjsV3ivUsC4ZL-sLUOrbS4qP-QcJpLV5joTJOyy6jXRFLF_T-d0137023EDVyx57p9C79NLOwbXw2y8tqCTz0udatVSoPxboQU-gKDumDE1_STyaaAqhM4H_0kz_DO8EmzI-xU4/s1600/mark+and+dennis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="230" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0jPoxjsV3ivUsC4ZL-sLUOrbS4qP-QcJpLV5joTJOyy6jXRFLF_T-d0137023EDVyx57p9C79NLOwbXw2y8tqCTz0udatVSoPxboQU-gKDumDE1_STyaaAqhM4H_0kz_DO8EmzI-xU4/s320/mark+and+dennis.JPG" /></a></div>On a deeply frigid February 23, 2011, Jenna Wolfe of the Sunday edition of "Today Show" visited the <a href="http://www.vtti.vt.edu/">Virginia Tech Transportation Institute</a> in Blacksburg, Va. Her mission: Learn about and then test-drive the second-generation <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/">Blind Driver Challenge</a> vehicle known as “ANDREA” (Automobile for Non-visual Driving Research, Education and Advancement). How did she do? <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41521818#41934725">Watch this clip to see.</a> Featured in the spot are Blind Driver Challenge partners National Federation of the Blind’s Mark Riccobono, Virginia Tech’s Dennis Hong and Paul D’Angio, and TORC Technologies’ Jesse Hurdus, among others. <i>Note: A brief commercial may play before the <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41521818#41934725">feature</a>.</i><br />
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<i>Image: Mark Riccobono, executive director of the National Federation of the Blind's Jernigan Institute, and Dennis Hong, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia, in December 2010 at Danville, Va. Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-78214259219781303902011-03-01T07:34:00.000-08:002011-03-01T07:35:12.334-08:00CPD's Newsflash profiles Sachin Pavithran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaHCaIssfUx7EmHZShXPXNoqkXPVFIyNf7xEd-Ku9Qgu-YZlsdUZHHgtvqF9bopJKDodnSyCjlXNbMeRbVfZ8_r1Djlw5ZzQHA9M5Mzx3qvw2zrNVq1HCObwaobOku0Z42zE-N3Jf2-E/s1600/sachin_and_barstow_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="317" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaHCaIssfUx7EmHZShXPXNoqkXPVFIyNf7xEd-Ku9Qgu-YZlsdUZHHgtvqF9bopJKDodnSyCjlXNbMeRbVfZ8_r1Djlw5ZzQHA9M5Mzx3qvw2zrNVq1HCObwaobOku0Z42zE-N3Jf2-E/s320/sachin_and_barstow_300.jpg" /></a></div><i>From the the Center for Persons with Disabilities' NewsFlash:</i> "CPD employee was involved in the creation of a prototype car that the blind can drive"<br />
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The CPD's Sachin Pavithran is the CPD's assistive technology specialist and law and policy coordinator. He is also a member of the research and development committee of the National Federation of the Blind—and because of that connection he was involved in the development of a car that can be driven by someone who is blind.<br />
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The vehicle, a modified Ford Escape, debuted last month at the Rolex 24 in a pre-race demonstration at Daytona. Driver Mark Anthony Riccobono not only navigated 1.5 miles of the course but also avoided obstacles... <a href="http://www.cpdusu.org/newsflash/February2011/">Read more</a><br />
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<i>Image from CPD's NewsFlash website</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-12316489372463406402011-02-25T08:31:00.000-08:002011-02-28T10:02:58.141-08:00Virginia Tech students help bring Blind Driver Challenge to Daytona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGul2vCQiui2aXDyOvlzPkOadE8ly0eUkjykrRxASNhlujmfhRUib7SuHgz2MvtrGKJOphcB8agQrnyfPOFOOXUrtMNPRYvEmMUiXZDZ3kDVZNRXrY9JV84PLQEjUQ1yEq8vgV6WidzkQ/s1600/mark+at+side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="186" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGul2vCQiui2aXDyOvlzPkOadE8ly0eUkjykrRxASNhlujmfhRUib7SuHgz2MvtrGKJOphcB8agQrnyfPOFOOXUrtMNPRYvEmMUiXZDZ3kDVZNRXrY9JV84PLQEjUQ1yEq8vgV6WidzkQ/s320/mark+at+side.JPG" /></a></div>A team of graduate and undergraduate students from the <a href="http://www.eng.vt.edu/">Virginia Tech College of Engineering</a> helped make history Jan. 29, 2011, at Daytona International Speedway. <br />
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As part of the ongoing <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org">Blind Driver Challenge</a>, a blind man drove a 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV on 1.5 miles of the famed course during the three-day <a href="http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Tickets-Events/Events/2010/Rolex-24/Rolex-24-At-Daytona.aspx">Rolex 24</a> race extravaganza. At a top speed of 27 mph, he steered through a set of obstacles that included barrels and cardboard boxes randomly thrown from the back of a van. He then passed the moving van. Assisting the driver was high-tech hardware developed by Hokies, past and present.<br />
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The driver – Mark Riccobono, an executive with the <a href="http://www.nfb.org/nfb/default.asp">National Federation of the Blind</a> (NFB) -- did perfectly. His trek complete, he parked the vehicle at track’s end and within minutes embraced and kissed his wife. The trek made international news: CNN, “Wired,” Fox News, and more.<br />
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The 10-minute trip caps years of research engineering work by teams of College of Engineering students, led by <a href="http://www.romela.org/main/Dr._Dennis_Hong">Dennis Hong</a>, director of Virginia Tech’s <a href="http://www.romela.org">Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory</a> and associate professor of mechanical engineering. <br />
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“As Mark arrived safely at the finish line, hugging his wife with tears in his eyes, I couldn’t help but also cry,” Hong said. “I asked Mark if he could give me a ride back to my hotel. He is blind, but I knew he could see the big smile on my face.” <br />
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<b>History</b><br />
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Having the freedom to drive an automobile has long been a dream of blind people. It’s among the first things they are told they never can do. But in 2004, the National Federation of the Blind – a nonprofit advocacy group based in Baltimore – put forth the Blind Driver Challenge: Create non-visual interface technology that one day could allow a blind person to safely and reliably drive an automobile. <br />
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Virginia Tech is the only university and research institution to take up the call. Work began in earnest in 2006. Within three years, undergraduate engineering students built a prototype buggy that used laser range finders to scan the surrounding environment and relay information back to the driver via a variety of new non-visual interface technologies. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdLF_OIBY97UWSAy5aWCZgZlDsn1k9mca9fG0L6uUsosuYiZxKtgo4i1cW4cxL4nqclCrETCScBQJ71Q-Qt8iHlhRnvRPbn0IHU6YdlifUTZBLsun1YKEeOyDbYProtd5rPw2CKvuwV8/s1600/riccobono+done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdLF_OIBY97UWSAy5aWCZgZlDsn1k9mca9fG0L6uUsosuYiZxKtgo4i1cW4cxL4nqclCrETCScBQJ71Q-Qt8iHlhRnvRPbn0IHU6YdlifUTZBLsun1YKEeOyDbYProtd5rPw2CKvuwV8/s320/riccobono+done.JPG" /></a></div>Riccobono was one of the first blind people to drive the red buggy in May 2009 on Virginia Tech’s campus. At the time, he said, “This is sort of our going to the moon project.” The buggy publicly <a href="http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/innovation/2009-07-27-drivers/2009-07-27-drivers.html">debuted shortly thereafter at the NFB’s Youth Slam summer camp</a> in College Park, Md., in July 2009. The debut made international news, but it was merely the beginning of the effort.<br />
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From there, work began on the second-generation of Blind Driver vehicles, highway-ready cars that could conceivably by used on the open road. The set goal was large: Debut the cars on one of the most famous pieces of asphalt in the United States, a landmark among racing fans. The Daytona International Speedway.<br />
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<b>Technology</b><br />
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To meet the goal, Virginia Tech enlisted the help of <a href="http://www.torctech.com/">TORC Technologies</a>, a company founded by College of Engineering alumni and based at the university’s Corporate Research Center. TORC had an essential ingredient: ByWire XGV technology that can be integrated to a vehicle, in this case two Ford Escape Hybrids. The tech provides reliable and safe electronic control of the vehicle and the capability to be stopped remotely, among other modifications. <br />
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Engineering students designed the non-visual interface devices used by blind drivers to steer and operate the vehicle. The hardware includes wire-enhanced vibrating gloves called DriveGrips and a vibrating seat cushion called SpeedStrip. Both interfaces vibrate certain cues that indicate directions to accelerate or halt, turn right or left. The vehicles can “see” obstacles and the road ahead, via strategically placed laser range finders and cameras. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2nHf70Ed2XzHUzC2TuooLnY-bsENAMrjdrc_GumUK7FlIZxaBgMNw6bTDVHl4Bgg16wySdhC0QttrjDScRTZM8x2jb05KkGX3LjWlrrkNyIpzBPWvJKATUlRqsm5yS2R1Upjd7q51aQ/s1600/DSC_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2nHf70Ed2XzHUzC2TuooLnY-bsENAMrjdrc_GumUK7FlIZxaBgMNw6bTDVHl4Bgg16wySdhC0QttrjDScRTZM8x2jb05KkGX3LjWlrrkNyIpzBPWvJKATUlRqsm5yS2R1Upjd7q51aQ/s320/DSC_0340.JPG" /></a></div>“Through the help of technology and ingenuity, the possibilities for the blind are limitless,” said Matt Dowden, a College of Engineering graduate research assistant from Falls Church, Va., who originated DriveGrip while an undergraduate. “This project, from the original concept to the dune buggy to the highway-ready SUVs has always been and always will be about breaking barriers.”<br />
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With the technology in place to allow a driver to steer the SUV through a closed course, practice began. For months, on campus, at the nearby Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Smart Road, and then the rural Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Va., Riccobono and other blind drivers tested the vehicles as students and TORC employees perfected the technology.<br />
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<b>Daytona debut</b><br />
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Emotions and excitement ran high even before the Blind Driver vehicles debuted at the racetrack. <br />
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On the eve of Rolex 24, Riccobono for the first time was able to drive his family around a speedway-owned parking lot in one of the two Blind Driver Challenge SUVs. With his wife – who is also blind – in the passenger seat, and his two children strapped in the back, Riccobono drove the SUV, dodging traffic islands and other obstacles.<br />
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“This really hit home for me as my goal is to use engineering to help people overcome life’s toughest challenges,” said Paul D’Angio, a mechanical engineering doctoral student from Basking Ridge, N.J. Added Hong: “To witness and truly feel our hard work directly touching others hearts, giving people hope and inspiring others, was an experience that I will never forget.”<br />
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Riccobono himself said his driving the Daytona track was a historic moment for blind people all over -- there are an estimated 1.3 million legally blind people just in the United States – but that the short, quiet drive he took with his family was a personal life highlight.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eGeFuBoKKvrB8tij19Wfb_FLlArrD-DZSSjVH2C3XS1WDS8n5tlAdnIHAyv_B_jbwBiBKP-l2KWeuHhDyLx6Trp3Yokq1bZqiANwbKv8SNkmh2zdTVDGVRI95Lgx1uFs25SEiw5q1Q8/s1600/media+by+side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="181" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eGeFuBoKKvrB8tij19Wfb_FLlArrD-DZSSjVH2C3XS1WDS8n5tlAdnIHAyv_B_jbwBiBKP-l2KWeuHhDyLx6Trp3Yokq1bZqiANwbKv8SNkmh2zdTVDGVRI95Lgx1uFs25SEiw5q1Q8/s320/media+by+side.JPG" /></a></div>The next day, Jan. 29, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNpCtIv8dn8">Riccobono drove the track</a>. Before hundreds of fellow federation members and thousands of race fans parked and camped within the track, Riccobono turned the ignition at the track’s iconic starting line. All engines go. A group of photographers and cameramen filmed his departure and then raced themselves to the finish line to capture the arrival.<br />
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He took an 18-degree bank, steered through white barrels, and navigated around those cardboard boxes thrown from the back of a van. A track announcer called out every move Riccobono made as he drove to demo’s end point. Riccobono exited the vehicle elated, emotional.<br />
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“People asked me what are you going to say, and I had some things in mind of what I was going to say,” Riccobono said afterward. “But for me the moment spoke for itself, there were no words. Even words that I conjure up ahead of time that would fit the moment.”<br />
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D’Angio was in the van, dropping the boxes the SUV dodged. “We made a large amount of practice runs, so during the actual track run we were focused on performing our individual tasks,” he said. “Once the vehicle came to a stop however, screams of celebration echoed throughout the lead vehicle ... after eight months of work we had finally done it!” <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_elNXm3yf0ub975nBAAiJ5W83TzfUstG27h3fPgzOUYyzfIz4uOCkrT-eDH5OCsflnrCVv1bNBkEhFiV-2M4y6xJoZJC1dFBPNb5Ff1S0ZJ4Q2LJpU5VVsEY1rXyX0K5wAJ2l1bDCeo/s1600/three+romela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="259" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_elNXm3yf0ub975nBAAiJ5W83TzfUstG27h3fPgzOUYyzfIz4uOCkrT-eDH5OCsflnrCVv1bNBkEhFiV-2M4y6xJoZJC1dFBPNb5Ff1S0ZJ4Q2LJpU5VVsEY1rXyX0K5wAJ2l1bDCeo/s320/three+romela.jpg" /></a></div>Added Ryan Colby, a master’s student in mechanical engineering from Rochester, N.Y.: “Experiencing the actual demo from up close, it seemed so natural to see a blind man driving since our team had already seen this happening firsthand in our practice sessions.”<br />
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Back in Blacksburg, at least one Virginia Tech Blind Driver Challenge team member listened via Internet to the live broadcasted demo. “I could feel the excitement and palpable anticipation as Mark was handed the keys. I thought, ‘He’s really going to do this – it is reality. All the hard work is about to pay off,’” said Chelsea Cook, a freshman majoring in physics from Newport News, Va., who is blind. <br />
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“What came next seemed analogous to a space shuttle launch: Systems check, preparing the non-visual interfaces, checking their functionality, giving a thumbs-up to the other crews. I always get the sense that driving the [Blind Driver] vehicle is like being a test pilot: exhilarating, slight risk involved, and the old mantra: Pushing the edge of the envelope,” said Cook, a self-proclaimed “NASA geek.”<br />
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<b>Future</b><br />
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What is next for the Blind Driver Challenge vehicles? Advocates at federation know well the barriers that loom before them are large, not just the technology-based hurdles, but the societal ones as well. Having blind drivers sharing the road is several years off. The technology likely will be ready before insurers, highway regulators, and everyday motorists are open to the concept. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWWGCrwxnCE5G-_IDk10TkveHL8fAqcK6tYs8xKErtPxOmRuVD_pm5lo6uQFjte65HEmuHI_v6Si1YxROgEQJuzXctAJKE90w3KAXBUGRF6slbtNTJIzVU6CzGxLMSIsZhleA77PXlBk/s1600/Picture+156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="222" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWWGCrwxnCE5G-_IDk10TkveHL8fAqcK6tYs8xKErtPxOmRuVD_pm5lo6uQFjte65HEmuHI_v6Si1YxROgEQJuzXctAJKE90w3KAXBUGRF6slbtNTJIzVU6CzGxLMSIsZhleA77PXlBk/s320/Picture+156.jpg" /></a></div>But hopes remain undeterred. “This is just one piece,” said Riccobono. “We have a lot more work to do to continue this effort. … This is not just a dream, but a path to something that is going to be real.” Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said before the Daytona demo, “This isn’t the end, this is just the beginning.”<br />
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Hong and his research team plan to meet the end-goal of the Blind Driver Challenge: Develop a car that can be driven by a blind person independently. “The SpeedStrip and DriveGrip interfaces were simple ‘instructional cue’ devices that we are moving away from, and we are now pursuing more sophisticated ‘informational cue’ devices for the driving interfaces,” Hong said.<br />
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“What we have shown at Daytona is that the human brain is capable of surpassing our wildest imaginations when coupled with the right technology,” said Jesse Hurdus, a software engineer with TORC who earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech. “Partnering with Virginia Tech and RoMeLa to achieve this difficult challenge shows the power of combining industry expertise with student creativity.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3MQ_-5NITwisDkjWkfXpqie3aoWRdamarCmtytgQk3ey3_3IavRVM2APtp37OT4AJfybk1_-foQWakS7Ig7S7Xklyn7Vpjskz8bQCevY1SjEXB-tLHXJaU5-9FRtNr_eiA_dt5rpzKs/s1600/blind+boy+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3MQ_-5NITwisDkjWkfXpqie3aoWRdamarCmtytgQk3ey3_3IavRVM2APtp37OT4AJfybk1_-foQWakS7Ig7S7Xklyn7Vpjskz8bQCevY1SjEXB-tLHXJaU5-9FRtNr_eiA_dt5rpzKs/s320/blind+boy+1.JPG" /></a></div>The devices used in the SUVs, as well as other technologies developed by students during the Blind Driver Challenge likely have other uses outside of driving – perhaps being adopted to home appliances, computers, and other everyday objects used by the blind. The laser range finders and technologies on the SUVs also could be adapted to all cars and trucks. Think how handy it would be to have a laser-based collision warning alarm on a dangerous, fog-covered mountain road.<br />
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“Humans do not adapt easily to what they think is impossible, unless, of course, you are brought up to embrace technology, as some of us in the blind community have,” said Cook, who has since driven one of the Blind Driver vehicles on a close-ended highway course. “The ability to control a vehicle independently is amazing, but I’m just as curious to see the spin-offs and applications in other fields until society is ready for us to hit the road.”<br />
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<i>Editor’s Note: This is a full-text version of an article appearing at the Virginia Tech website. The <a href="http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/impact/2011-02-28-bdc/daytona.html">original article</a> includes additional photographs and video links about the Blind Driver Challenge. All images by Steven D. A. Mackay, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, and Suzanne Shaffer, National Federation of the Blind.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-67048354363011620612011-02-25T07:53:00.000-08:002011-02-25T07:53:20.965-08:00From the "Fremont (Nebraska) Tribune": FPS teacher watches blind man drive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyrUOsdw1T-y9KeTNu8lejYrm7dnC8RzgkvaAL395WttrJOcz3Hbfbr230Fo3ZL_1Q-BJk6YwHQapa0rBd440uOcp0Pe8MJ9Rx46WrDrdCH6WB9UcGUgBGmvENz5wyCSEK5NJQOChXSU/s1600/Riccobono+done+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="181" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyrUOsdw1T-y9KeTNu8lejYrm7dnC8RzgkvaAL395WttrJOcz3Hbfbr230Fo3ZL_1Q-BJk6YwHQapa0rBd440uOcp0Pe8MJ9Rx46WrDrdCH6WB9UcGUgBGmvENz5wyCSEK5NJQOChXSU/s320/Riccobono+done+2.JPG" /></a></div>Mary Robinson recently got the chance to watch something very few people thought was possible: Watch a blind person drive a vehicle.<br />
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Robinson, a teacher for Fremont Public Schools' Blind and Visually Impaired Program, watched Mark Anthony Riccobono drive a Ford Escape hybrid during the Rolex 24 in late January at Daytona Beach, Fla.<br />
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Riccobono's vehicle was equipped with non-visual technology, including a pad that gave him cues for when to stop, speed up and slow down, as well as gloves that indicated which direction to turn.<br />
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Riccobono also had to avoid obstacles, including boxes that were dropped from a van.<br />
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Robinson was amazed by... <a href="http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/185885e4-3f63-11e0-a75e-001cc4c03286.html">Read more</a><br />
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<i>Image: As he exits the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle at Daytona International Speedway, Mark Riccobono is greeted by family, friends and cameramen. Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-4145734678423220812011-02-17T10:32:00.000-08:002011-02-17T10:33:55.581-08:00In Daytona: A photo album<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTbZOs-KzC_Ri7fTMc40M8Q41wC_LqpOIzQBnqWSrm3Ym9MuU_Yv-SMkKISzmiW7-l6bz2S9SQjlYAArxZq63tYnPtt57RgeRnsV_NcGgJ-8Q9V-hJkFOOfSOYqT8dN6_vkqMA9C03mQ/s1600/SUSAN+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="178" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTbZOs-KzC_Ri7fTMc40M8Q41wC_LqpOIzQBnqWSrm3Ym9MuU_Yv-SMkKISzmiW7-l6bz2S9SQjlYAArxZq63tYnPtt57RgeRnsV_NcGgJ-8Q9V-hJkFOOfSOYqT8dN6_vkqMA9C03mQ/s320/SUSAN+1.jpg" /></a></div>A team of <a href="http://www.eng.vt.edu/">Virginia Tech College of Engineering</a> graduate and undergraduate students helped make history January 29, 2011, at the Daytona International Speedway. As part of the ongoing <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/bdcg/Default.asp">Blind Driver Challenge</a>, a blind man drove a specially-outfitted 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV on 1.5 miles of the famed auto course. We've posted a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=275064&id=74566483423">photo album</a> marking highlights of this unique occasion.<br />
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<i>Image: National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute Executive Director and BDC driver Mark Riccobono takes on the famed Daytona track. Photo by Suzanne Shaffer, an art director at the National Federation of the Blind.</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-83416167713937270812011-02-16T09:39:00.000-08:002011-03-11T07:48:52.214-08:00From 'Wired': High-Tech Car Allows the Blind to Drive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XkvHMXG2SWvql_tL8MBMcCVZYIc9_I71D9vUK1VxwmKfmRDuiga7W0e3JW5-kRW1mpc3aDrGPsXYQhEw8iOpJZXSjycErDTjJI9DDT0aVqUW7coXtBcqx_8aPm1dClLuRiqqZ8LGLnA/s1600/mark+boards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XkvHMXG2SWvql_tL8MBMcCVZYIc9_I71D9vUK1VxwmKfmRDuiga7W0e3JW5-kRW1mpc3aDrGPsXYQhEw8iOpJZXSjycErDTjJI9DDT0aVqUW7coXtBcqx_8aPm1dClLuRiqqZ8LGLnA/s320/mark+boards.JPG" /></a></div>A Ford Escape poking along at 25 mph isn’t usually the most exciting event on the track at the Daytona International Speedway. Consider that the driver is blind, however, and that slow-moving Ford is an example of how technology can grant autonomy.<br />
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Mark Riccobono, a blind executive at the National Federation of the Blind, handled the curves, avoided obstacles thrown in his path from a van ahead of him and then passed that van. He did it in a vehicle built by students using off-the-shelf technology.<br />
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“That was fun because nobody expected that we’d do that,” Riccobono said. “We kept exactly what we were going to do on the track, we held that close to the vest and even our members didn’t know that was going to happen.”<br />
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Although we’re a long way from the day ... <a href="http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/02/high-tech-car-allows-the-blind-to-drive/">Read more</a><br />
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<i>At the Daytona International Speedway, Mark Riccobono prepares to drive the Blind Driver Challenge car known as BRIAN. Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-56026910213214303452011-02-10T14:54:00.000-08:002011-02-11T11:24:15.893-08:00Virginia Tech video of a triumphant run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTUXi-DIl9DCdCBQE61LmnsgkTyHdsA4A6wt9I5_ep-N-7zcdoDJOXtFZPxPU8TiIGfpOLxLNRKWYP3n6LYB2bfEhgByPNBzksCzcBbULOZqhU7fqbVqVXHdYNpZo-_SRabo5NKcDo18/s1600/riccobono+done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTUXi-DIl9DCdCBQE61LmnsgkTyHdsA4A6wt9I5_ep-N-7zcdoDJOXtFZPxPU8TiIGfpOLxLNRKWYP3n6LYB2bfEhgByPNBzksCzcBbULOZqhU7fqbVqVXHdYNpZo-_SRabo5NKcDo18/s320/riccobono+done.JPG" /></a></div>Watch the <a href="http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp">National Federation of the Blind</a>'s Mark Riccobono steer the course at the Daytona International Speedway in this brief <a href="http://www.unirel.vt.edu/audio_video/2011/02/020811-bdc-daytona.html">video</a> from January 29, 2011. <br />
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Riccobono, executive director of the NFB's Jernigan Institute, said he was "honored" to be the first person to taker the race course as part of the <a href="http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/bdcg/Default.asp">Blind Driver Challenge</a>. More personal, though, Riccobono said was the chance to drive his family -- wife and two children -- around a nearby parking lot the day prior. The car's public debut came at the famed Rolex24 race. <br />
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Added Dennis Hong, associate professor of mechanical engineering at <a href="http://www.vt.edu">Virginia Tech</a>, "The Daytona demo we did is just the beginning. It was to let the world know about the challenge, and to inspire other scientists and researchers to join our efforts in developing technology for the blind."<br />
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<a href="http://www.unirel.vt.edu/audio_video/2011/02/020811-bdc-daytona.html">Video</a> edited by Virginia Tech's Josh Napier.<br />
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<i>Photo: A triumphant and emotional Mark Riccobono talks to a cameraman (just out of frame), after his Daytona demo drive. Image by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163013488213156024.post-15365351218310530122011-02-08T16:28:00.000-08:002011-02-08T16:31:20.594-08:00Virginia Tech video: Behind the Blind Driver Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuNPMGB3vNV6JG7HDT4gnTUpeHg_k21ufbT3NpkBez4B9mm-jdv7now1Kh2ifpEpihPniwzX5TPbrCagRlsNzlXrf-_FIbcH9QN1o3Ldcsuh1PGg0fNn6uIVir3iZq-lyg5M7T-CUMRs/s1600/DSC_0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuNPMGB3vNV6JG7HDT4gnTUpeHg_k21ufbT3NpkBez4B9mm-jdv7now1Kh2ifpEpihPniwzX5TPbrCagRlsNzlXrf-_FIbcH9QN1o3Ldcsuh1PGg0fNn6uIVir3iZq-lyg5M7T-CUMRs/s320/DSC_0161.JPG" /></a></div>The second-generation Blind Driver Challenge vehicles are explained in this Virginia Tech University Relations <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y0090jNwjk">video</a> featuring Associate Professor Dennis Hong (<i>pictured at right</i>) of our mechanical engineering department. Video was at the Virginia International Raceway, 11 days before our successful January 29 run at Daytona International Speedway.<br />
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<i>Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay</i>Steven D. A. Mackayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02682020146378852034noreply@blogger.com1