Review of Machine Vision-Based Electronic Travel Aids

Visual impaired people have navigation and mobility problems on the road. Up to now, many approaches have been conducted to help them navigate around using different sensing techniques. This paper reviews several machine vision- based Electronic Travel Aids (ETAs) and compares them with those using other sensing techniques. The functionalities of machine vision-based ETAs are classified from low-level image processing such as detecting the road regions and obstacles to high-level functionalities such as recognizing the digital tags and texts. In addition, the characteristics of the ETA systems for blind people are particularly discussed

Rotorcraft handling-qualities design criteria development

Joint NASA/Army efforts at the Ames Research Center to develop rotorcraft handling-qualities design criteria began in earnest in 1975. Notable results were the UH-1H VSTOLAND variable stability helicopter, the VFA-2 camera-and-terrain-board simulator visual system, and the generic helicopter real-time mathematical model, ARMCOP. An initial series of handling-qualities studies was conducted to assess the effects of rotor design parameters, interaxis coupling, and various levels of stability and control augmentation. The ability to conduct in-flight handling-qualities research was enhanced by the development of the NASA/Army CH-47 variable-stability helicopter. Research programs conducted using this vehicle include vertical-response investigations, hover augmentation systems, and the effects of control-force characteristics. The handling-qualities data base was judged to be sufficient to allow an update of the military helicopter handling-qualities specification, MIL-H-8501. These efforts, including not only the in-house experimental work but also contracted research and collaborative programs performed under the auspices of various international agreements. The report concludes by reviewing the topics that are currently most in need of work, and the plans for addressing these topics

Augmented Memory for Conference Attendees

Human memory at its best can perform astonishing feats - the tiniest snippet of information can trigger whole chains of associations, ending at an item long-believed forgotten. While modern information systems excel at systematic manipulation of structured or semi-structured information or even vast repositories of unstructured textual information, they are still far from these capabilities

Sensory aids for the blind: A challenging problem with lessons for the future

The two major objectives of sensory aids for the blind are to permit access to printed matter and to permit safe travel through the environment. The difficulties of designing technological means to achieve these objectives are in many respects unrelated to the concerns of the engineering laboratory. Social, economic, political, and logistic considerations all play a role. The "blind population" in the United States includes both the totally blind and those with a wide range of visual impairment. This population totals about 400 000 people in which the aged, the multiply handicapped, and those with significant residual vision predominate. Singly handicapped, working-aged people are the initial targets of the current sensory aids. Expansion of their range of usefulness to larger fractions of the blind population is expected to come later. About 800 agencies serve the blind population in the United States, and in 1967 they were responsible for an annual expenditure of 1 million. Nevertheless, several potentially useful prototype devices have been developed and are about to be evaluated in this country; at least one is of foreign origin. But if these devices are ever to have the opportunity of reaching the blind public, then mechanisms for evaluation, field trials, manufacture, and deployment must be set up. The field of currently active sensory-aids research programs is reviewed. Several programs are concerned with increasing the convenience and accessibility of braille by the application of computer technology. Nevertheless, despite the unquestionable value of these developments, the usefulness of braille is limited by its bulk, its cost, and the transcription time. To provide direct access to printed documents several devices are being developed that transform optical images from a printed page into auditory or tactile displays requiring motivation and training for effective use. These machines are termed "direct-translation" units and are designed for simplicity and low cost. Other systems utilize print recognition techniques to create a reading machine providing braille or speech as an output. These machines offer potentially faster reading rates and their use promises to be easier to learn than direct-translation machines, but at the penalty of complexity and high cost. Several mobility aids designed to augment the cane or guide dog have recently been developed. These are also described. The prospects of achieving direct input to the visual cortex are discussed. It is apparent that the cost of this research is likely to be extremely high in relation to the size of the blind population which might ultimately benefit. Somewhat more easily realizable is a visual substitution system involving stimulation of an area of the skin. Several systems are being developed but all suffer from limitations in image resolution. Finally, an examination of the organization of research and funding reveals that the U.S. program is small, poorly coordinated, and contains some seemingly unnecessary duplication of effort. Several obvious lessons emerge which, if heeded, could greatly improve the effectiveness of sensory-aids research by providing development, manufacture, evaluation, and deployment services within an integrated program

Enhanced Accessibility for People with Disabilities Living in Urban Areas

[Excerpt] People with disabilities constitute a significant proportion of the poor in developing countries. If internationally agreed targets on reducing poverty are to be reached, it is critical that specific measures be taken to reduce the societal discrimination and isolation that people with disabilities continue to face. Transport is an important enabler of strategies to fight poverty through enhancing access to education, employment, and social services. This project aims to further the understanding of the mobility and access issues experienced by people with disabilities in developing countries, and to identify specific steps that can be taken to start addressing problems. A major objective of the project is to compile a compendium of guidelines that can be used by government authorities, advocacy groups, and donor/loan agencies to improve the access of people with disabilities to transport and other services in urban areas

From fly-by-wire to drive-by-wire: Safety implications of automation in vehicles

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the current trend in automobile engineering toward automation of many of the functions previously performed by the driver. Working on the assumption that automation in aviation represents the basic model for driver automation, the costs and benefits of automation in aviation are explored as a means of establishing where automation of drivers' tasks are likely to yield benefits. It is concluded that there are areas where automation can provide benefits to the driver, but there are other areas where this is unlikely to be the case. Automation per se does not guarantee success, and therefore it becomes vital to involve Human Factors into design to identify where automation of driver functions can be allocated with a beneficial outcome for driving performance