The blind may be ready to take to the streets with much more than a walking cane with a red tip.
Engineer Dennis Hong wants to change the world, by introducing a car suitable for the blind, which to me sounds incredibly insane.
I think everyone’s first thought is “What? Are you crazy?” This was my first thought as well, but after reading his articles and watching his video presentations I realized that creating an unthinkable piece of technology may actually be possible, though it still seems insane.
There are so many activities blind people cannot experience. One of the major daily activities most people take for granted is driving. We sometimes forget what it was like to not have a driver’s license and the freedom we have while on the road. Not having a car is a problem for many students on campus, but most students in Michigan know how to maneuver a car and have driven one before.
To the blind this is something they know nothing about. Some may be too scared to try, while others may be excited for such an opportunity. What I find fascinating is that current engineers are working with blind engineers, as well as blind people, to make this project a success. You can actually view the car online and it looks just like a regular car you would see every day.
I think it would be an amazing experience for those yearning to drive, but I do not know if I would feel safe driving next to someone who cannot see me.
Most cars these days have sensors when going in reverse and a beep rings out if the car becomes too close to an object. There are cars that detect if something is in your blind spot. But even with all of these precautions, we still cannot see all of our surroundings and we happen to drive just fine. Talk in the future is that we will not have to manually operate a car at all; it will operate for us.
Currently, these new blind efficient vehicles will be implemented with technology that has to be proven safe. I think this vehicle could be safer to operate than any car we have ever driven.
It may take a while for people to get used to the idea of blind people driving. Personally, I think if this technology is successful, blind people will be better drivers than half of the current population on the road. I hope this particular project will motivate others to create unbelievable useful pieces no matter how insane they seem. You may change the world as we know it.