Car for blind drivers under development

A car that can be driven by completely blind motorists could be built as soon as next year, researchers claim. The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech say they hope to demonstrate a prototype equipped with technology that helps a sightless person to get behind the wheel in 2011.

The technology, called nonvisual interfaces, will guide its driver through traffic by transmitting information about nearby vehicles or objects. Vibrating gloves or streams of compressed air directed behind the wheel are among the options for communicating the information needed to avoid collisions and reach a destination.



Advocates for the blind describe the scheme as a "moon shot," drawing parallels with President John F. Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon. "We're exploring areas that have previously been regarded as unexplorable," said Dr. Mark Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind. "We're moving away from the theory that blindness ends the capacity of human beings to make contributions to society."

Mr Maurer first came up with the idea that the blind could drive about a decade ago when he launched the organisation's research institute. "Some people thought I was crazy, and they thought, 'Why do you want us to raise money for something that can't be done?' Others thought it was a great idea," Mr Maurer said. "Some people were incredulous. Others thought the idea was incredible." The latest vehicle will use nonvisual interfaces to help a blind driver operate the car. One interface, called DriveGrip, uses gloves with vibrating motors on areas that cover the knuckles. The vibrations signal to the driver when and where to turn.



Another interface, called AirPix, is a tablet about half the size of a sheet of paper with multiple air holes, almost like those found on an air hockey game. Compressed air coming out of the device helps inform the person of his or her surroundings, essentially creating a map of the objects around a vehicle. It would show whether there was another vehicle in a nearby lane or an obstruction in the road. A blind driver, who has not yet been chosen, will drive the vehicle on a course near the famed Daytona racetrack and attempt to simulate a typical driving experience.

Dr. Dennis Hong, a mechanical engineering professor at Virginia Tech who leads the research, said the technology could one day help a blind driver operate a vehicle but also could be used on conventional vehicles to make them safer or on other applications. Advocates for the blind say it will take time before society accepts the potential of blind drivers, and the safety of the technology will need to be proved through years of testing. But more than anything, they say it is part of a broader mission to change the way people perceive the blind.