The Blind Driver Challenge: Making a Car That the Blind Can Safely Drive

Last week I told you about a blind man driving the new Ford Mustang. As cool as that is, it isn't safe. Since the blind can't safely drive a car the National Federation for the Blind's Jernagan Institute has teamed up with Virginia tech to design and build a car that can be driven by someone who can't see. This program is called the Blind Driver Challenge. Here is a YouTube video to give you a look at how the project is progressing.

At it's current stage of development, the car uses both tactile and audio cues to help the blind person drive. The driver seat is a modified massage chair that tells the driver to either speed up or break. Instead of a steering wheel and a set of pedals, steering and speed is controlled by a joystick. Finally, a set of headphones tells the driver when to turn, what their current heading and speed are, and any corrections they need to make.

I'm sure some of you are wondering why it is important to figure out a way to make driving safe for a blind person. For me the top reason is better access to employment. One of the top reasons that blind people can't find employment is because of a lack of reliable transportation. Public transit in this country is mediocre at best, and even if it is really good, it may not be efficient enough for an employer to be willing to hire someone who is blind. I myself want to work in social services, but because I can't drive, and therefore can't transport clients, I'm not viewed as employable at many agencies.

If all of you are too scared to let a blind person drive a semi-autonomous vehicle, than the other option is a fully autonomous vehicle. Here is a link to a great article in the blog Techri-La that talks about why cars that drive themselves might be the way of the future.