Images from a historic day for the blind at Daytona

Scenes from today’s successful run of the Blind Driver Challenge car at the Daytona International Motorspeeday, part of the Rolex24 Race. There, Mark Riccobono, of the National Federation of the Blind, drove the track in a modified 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. The vehicle uses a variety of non-visual interfaces to assist the driver in the tasks of driving – steering, braking, accelerating and the like. After the demo, Riccobono said starting today, "being a blind driver is no longer an insult."

In the following photos:

A blind child uses his hands to feel one of the cars, modified by students at the Virginia Tech College of Engineering and engineers at TORC Technologies, a company based in Blacksburg.

(Left to right) Virginia Tech College of Engineering doctoral student Paul D’Angio and masters student Ryan Colby, both in mechanical engineering, talk to Virginia Tech associate professor Dennis Hong. The trio, along with a score of other graduate and undergraduate students at the university, spent months preparing for Saturday’s event in Daytona.

Laura Strickland, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, explains the non-visual interfaces of the Blind Driver Challenge car to members of the National Federation of the Blind. It should be noted that not all members of NFB at the event are blind, many are family or friends of the blind.

Photos by Steven D. A. Mackay

Success at Daytona

A bit more than two hours ago Mark Riccobono made history by taking the wheel of the Blind Driver Challenge car and running the course at Daytona International Speedway. Mark said the feeling was one of the most exhilarating of his life. The director of the National Federation of the Blind’s Jernigan Institute said he appreciated more the chance to drive his family – wife and two children – around a parking lot. Paul D’angio, a doctoral at Virginia Tech, said today’s work capped 8 months of hard work, through rain, heat, snow and darkness. More to come tonight….

Photo by Steven D. A. Mackay

Taking the track ... today

The day before the race, the Blind Driver Challenge cars arrived at the garages of the Daytona International Motorspeedway. Earlier in the day, Mark Riccobono test drove the non-visual interface car in a nearby parking lot, with the buzz and roar of the racetrack in the background.

Later that night, at a hotel along Dayton’s world famous beach, the National Federation of the Blind hosted a rally to celebrate this great technological achievement. Among the speakers was NFB President Marc Maurer. His great words: “This is not the end … This is just the beginning!” Dennis Hong, Virginia Tech associate professor of mechanical engineering, also spoke. He celebrated the efforts of his undergraduate and graduate students at the College of Engineering. “We always deliver.”

And, now, two hours before the race, all are excited. At the racetrack, stands are filling up, the BDC cars are being prepped and Riccobono is ready to take the wheel. To listen to an audiocast of the race go here: http://nfbrolex24.serverroom.us:5144/index.html

And with that, we’re taking the track…

One day to until the big debut at Daytona...

The Blind Driver Challenge team practices tomorrow for the debut of the Blind Driver Challenge vehicle just outside the Daytona International Speedway. Behind the wheel is Marc Riccobono, who will drive the car tomorrow on the track before thousands of race fans.

He is executive director of the National Federation of the Blind’s Jernigan Institute, which launched the idea of a vehicle that the blind one day could drive. Behind Mark is Laura Strickland, a Virginia Tech junior majoring in mechanical engineering and a member of the Blind Driver Challenge student team.

Blind Driver Challenge vehicles take the track

The Blind Driver Challenge team is at the Daytona Motorspeedway, practicing for this weekend's debut at the Rolex24 race. Dennis Hong, associate professor at Virginia Tech and faculty adviser on the project, had his iPhone handy for the practice session. Check out this photo album to see all the images.

Sneak Peak: Daytona International Speedway

The Blind Driver Challenge vehicles at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Fla. Image courtesy Dennis Hong.

Photo blog: 18 January 2011 at VIR

From Jan. 17-19, 2011, the Blind Driver Challenge team -- including members of the National Federation of the Blind, the Virginia Tech College of Engineering and TORC Technologies -- visited the Virginia International Raceway in rural Danville, Va., to test the non-visual interfaces of the second-generation Blind Driver Challenge cars. Check out this photo album from the second day of testing.

Images by Steven Mackay