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3-D Virtual Maps For the Blind
Roland Piquepaille writes to let us know about research into producing palpable maps for the blind. Scientific American has the story of Greek researchers who produce 3D "haptic" maps that "use force fields to represent walls and roads so the visually impaired can better understand the layout of buildings and cities." Two separate systems produce haptic output from standard video and from 2D maps. The systems have been tested on a small number of users. Currently the devices that interpret the "force fields" for sight-impaired users are not portable, and so the systems are most appropriate for doing research before, e.g., visiting a new city.
Nobody likes that Roland...
But the most important issue, and the one that makes this idea founder, is that mostly it's sighted folks implementing their ideas on what would make the world a better place for the blind. No blind person would likely find themselves wandering an unknown city without some assistance from either a guidedog or sighted assistant. Why? It's not the walls and what not that are the problem... its the idiots who park their cars on pavements, the morons who let their dogs foul the pavements, it's town planners who let trees grow over pavements putting overhanging branches in the way. And so on, and so on. Disrespect is one of the biggest barriers and something that cannot be easily resoved with 'force-fields'.
Sorry to rant, it's a nice idea...
Force fields? Holographic maps? Invisibility cloaks?
How long was I asleep?
cmd-q.co.uk - some sort of stupid fucking internet bullshit
I don't see it.
OK the only original idea in TFA is a force feedback glove which simulates touching a surface by pushing back against fingers at the appropriate moment. I can think of lots of uses for that if the device can be put into production.
The rest of it is all about building physical models of spaces, then taking pictures of them and turning the pictures into 3D models using an algorithm which the author is obviously very proud of. Unfortunately most people who design stuff these days build a 3D model in software at the outset, so going the other way is useful, but not the first thing I would think of.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
By force feedback they mean a special peripheral punches you in the nose if you blindly navigate into a virtual wall.
now blind people can have porn too.
"Feels like a couple of hills over here, maybe a park a bit lower, feels like some bushes...."
I have this really funny quote that I like to put here. Unfortunately, there's this really annoying thing called a char
use the tag "boycottroland" and let the slashdot editors know that Roland has no place with his blogspam on slashdot, and he needs to take his bogspam to sites devoted to that purpose, e.g. digg.com
dosent this seem to be a technical advance that has little real use ?
Without even reading comments, one can safely assume that /.ers already thought of some misapplications of that.
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
The roads will never be safe again....
Well, nice idea, but I somehow fail to see a blind person walking around any time soon with a combination of a PHANTOM Desktop device (DESKTOP size, not that portable) and a CyberGrasp glove (just Google for it and check this bulky thing - including backback - out for yourself). These devices are probably great for lab applications, but as long as they aren't miniaturized, applications in which such devices are to be worn as portables are wishful thinking IMHO.
Related see this audio maps project (via C). Fron the former link: "In the case of geo-referenced data where users need to combine demographic, economic or other data in a geographic context for decision-making, we designed iSonic, an interactive sonification tool that allows users to explore in highly coordinated table and choropleth map views of the data. Sounds of various timbres and pitches are tied to map regions and other interface widgets to create a virtual auditory data display."
Animoog.org
Because men will NOT ask for directions. No matter what.
I've been living in Japan for the last few years and they've been using "modern tech" to aid the blind for years. All subway/train/bus stations, and even most sidewalks in downtown areas, have pathways of raised bumps (like sidewalk braille) leading to/from all exits/stairways/crosswalks/etc. It's mind-numbing how pervasive these things are. Braille "enabled" maps are posted all over (with, of course, sidewalk-braille paths leading up to them). They even have braille written (embossed?) on staircase railings saying which floor is the next one up/down, and of course on all elevator buttons. But they don't stop there. Most subways/trains and even buses announce what stop they're at and which one is next. Not to mention the elevators, too.
Anyway, to make a long comment short, it doesn't take fancy tech to make the world easier for disabled people, but a willingness to spend public money to do so. I can't imagine how much all that infrastructure costs, but then I look at my taxes...
April Fools was last weekend.
Agreed, force feedback technology being used this way is a great concept with many practical applications, however I think using the term "force field" in the article is highly misleading, and the science journal's writer deserves a thumping for that. A hand isn't hitting an amazing new electromagnetic barrier, rather A glove is passing into a set of spatial coordinates it's programmed to respond to.
I'm visually impaired, and I went to a school of visually impaired people, so I have experience of technologies to help blind people. Personally, I can see well enough to use a map with a magnifier, but this flashy new tech isn't aimed at me.
People who have been blind from birth almost always (there are some exceptions) find it immensely difficult to use maps or diagrams, even if they're very well made, with different textures and good labels. The problem seems to be that they can only really take in the bit they're feeling at the time, as they feel different bits, their brain doesn't stick them together because they're not used to visually scanning things. The same thing happens when they read Braille, or even raised text, they are only taking in the bit they are feeling at the time, and they must recognise every letter because they can't scan as sighted people can.
Now, people who loose their sight later have learnt to visually scan, and can make better use of maps. They can also visualise spaces more effectively, some are quite astounding - these are the kind of people who lay out a couple of ropes in their garden, map it in their head, and then quite confidently use a chainsaw on the excess growth.
But the problem is, even blind people who can use maps don't need this new tech, cheaper and easier methods already exist. One for example, involves printing a black and white document (which could contain text-labels in the Braille font), on special paper (via an ordinary ink or laser printer). The paper is then gently heated from above, the areas coloured black absorb more heat and the special plastics on the surface of the paper expand raising the image. This system isn't limited to just black and white, usually about five levels are achievable, then of course you can use dotted or dashed lines, and tricks like that to distinguish things.
The other main method of map production takes longer, it involves making a 3D map by hand, and then melting a sheet of plastic over the top, the plastic is then removed preserving the impression.
The other problem with maps is that sighted people usually look around them at landmarks (like street names) and then look at the map to find out where they are. Blind people reading street signs, or 'seeing' the cathedral at the end of the street. Sounds difficult.
A new navigational aid for blind people is a talking GPS, and although I haven't actually had any personal experience with it, I've had good reports, and of course it doesn't rely on map reading or visualising in any way. With a talking GPS and a guide dog, a blind person could quite confidently make a trip to a new city. Having said that, many blind people already do, with other tools, and nothing more than a long cane. Blind people are disadvantaged, but if they are prepared to think creatively about the problems they face, they can figure out how to conquer most situations.
how retarded is this?
Instead of creating a BIONIC eye so they can see like the rest of us why make a stupid dactile map?
shheessh...
Reginald Golledge, one of the people quoted in the article and a top-notch researcher in the field, is blind himself.
Force Field: from a macroscopic perspective, the means by which a force communicates its influence; described by a collection of numbers at each point in space that reflect the strength and direction of the force at that point. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox- a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=rlL&defl=en&q= define:force+field&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct= title
spoken like a white guy with a two inch peter.
I was waiting for someone with more intelligence than I to make a rebuttal to the previous post (I guess they were all to smart too). I suggest that you should have done the same. I disagree with just about everything he said (the only exception being the bit about sending farming supplies to starving countries instead of food (if the land can't be farmed it is not a place people should be living)) but a response like that tends to enforce some of his other points. You could have responded in a hundred intelligent ways but instead you decide to flame his unit. You had a chance to enlighten this guy and others who may think the same way but instead you have only reinforced his way of thinking by responding with a similarly offensive generalization. -1 for humanity; good job.
I think that using technology to help peoples well being is an awesome idea. It does seem high tech and unbelievable that these maps are possible but anything to help people live fuller, happier lives is very worthwhile if they would be helpful to the blind people who would use them.