NEC Foundation of America Grant
Textbook: Sensory Technologies

The revolution in computer technology is resulting in rapidly evolving sensory systems. Sensors for seeing, hearing and feeling are getting smaller, cheaper, and more powerful in accordance with Gordon Moore's "law" that exponential change is occuring in the computer field. Changes in sensory technologies fall into four areas that have relevance for blind navigation:

1. Robotics: machines that move through space will be equipped with increasingly sophisticated and affortable sensory systems. They will see, hear, and feel with rapidly evolving sensors. For example, in Japan, guide dog robots are under development through the leadership of professor Hideo Mori at Yamanaski University. Sony Corporation has a Digital Creatures Lab and has created AIBO, a robotic dog. The cost for the first generation of AIBO was $2,500 US dollars. An ugraded and cheaper ($1,400) AIBO was released November 16, 2001. Other organizations have joined the digital creatures competition. Expect this whole field to rapidly evolve and to eventually provide avenues to assist blind navigation (and other challenges facing individuals with impairments).

2. Computer vision processing is getting ever more sophisticated. This holds promise for real time translation of visual images into audio feedback for the blind traveler.

3. Brain scanning technologies will allow ever more sophisticated understanding of the brain. The systems in the brain responsible for navigation will become clearer and damage to the system will be easier to document. This improvement in diagnostics will provide for better remedial strategies.

4. Cyborg systems that connect to the internet will give blind individuals access to sighted individuals who will literally look out a camera mounted over a blind eye and interpret visual scenes for the blind traveller.