Blind Driver: Ultimate Insult or Statement of Fact
By Wunder, Gary; Braille Monitor, Vol. 54, No. 3Publication Date: March 2011
Article outlines the development of a blind-drivable car, culminating in its first test drive. A collaboration of the National Foundation of the Blind (NFB) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), the car developed for The Blind Driver Challenge is described. It is equipped with a seat strip used to indicate whether to accelerate, slow down, or stop and driver gloves, called Drive Grips, used to provide information for directing the car. A vibration in the left drive grip tells the driver to steer to the left, and the extent to which the steering wheel is turned is communicated by the intensity of the vibration and how many fingers are stimulated. The first test drive of the vehicle is described, at the Daytona Speedway in Florida on January 29, 2011, where the designated blind driver successfully steered the vehicle through a slalom course of barrels, poles, and, finally, boxes thrown at random from a lead van. The article includes a link to an 8 minute video showing the event, with footage from inside the car.
Published by: National Federation of the Blind (Website:http://www.nfb.org)
Link to text: http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm11/bm1103/bm110302.htm
Link to audio: https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Audio/Braille_Monitor/2011/March/05_Lead_Photo_March_2011.mp3
Link to video: http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org/bdcg/Video_Highlights.asp
