Everett makes some excellent points, and as a researcher, I like to see people looking forward to the potential and possibilities, not thinking that it is of little use because most people who are blind are not as capable as me. Whoever the proverbial me is. Let me give you a couple examples of research that started out as a "college project" that resulted in or shaped the direction of development of assistive technologies.
In 2002, myself and some faculty here at ASU developed a camera based reading machine for people who are blind, visually impaired, or had any print disability. We showed the prototype to three different blindness technology companies, published a few articles in academic journals, presented at a few conferences, and as a result ABISEE improved their system, Humanware came out with the Intel-Reader, Freedom Scientific came out with the Pearl. So our research was funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) and that funding brought all of us the many different camera based capture reading systems we have today.
Look Tell, an app for the iPhone started out as a research project. There have also recently been a couple research projects to develop a scan & read app for smart phones, and Voila there is now a company that has a beta app that does just that.
So we should get behind these folks and support them however we can. Because their efforts and findings, including feedback from users, is often passed along to those who take it up for a profit.
Best,
Terri
===================================================
Terri Hedgpeth Ed.D.
Director, Disability Resource Center
PO Box 873202
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-3202
Assistant: (480) 965-3366
Direct: (480) 727-8133
Fax: (480) 965-0441
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Pietruk
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 12:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] Indoor Navigation?
Everett
As others have suggested, there are numerous problems with this whole
concept on a realworld use basis:
\As this is a college project, it ends with whatever the end goal of the
project is. At best, it's a demonstration of potential capability.
For it to go beyond that, someone or something has to take it over.
Secondly, who is going to pay for all this? And with so few individuals
either benefiting or using it on a regular basis, it hardly sounds cost
efffective -- at least right now.
Thirdly, I somehow doubt that the typical blind airport customer can
simply be handed a gps unit and find their way. Sounds real good, but
they have to be able to implement the instructions in a timely manner and
I am guessing that there would be still a lot of blind passengers
wandering around confused and lost still requiring human intervention to
assist them.
The concept raised by the college project is fascinating. But just
because it sounds exciting as theoretically it could assist greatly,
translating it from a student college project for a course into a widely
used real application, that's a long way off.
Hopefully, it will plant seeds of interest; but those seeds first have to
bear plants and fruit which could be a long time down the road.
Unforgiveness is the poison we drink, thinking it'll kill the other person.
unknown
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