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Spring Buds
Posted in Help the Blind
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Electronic Lens Fitted On Rabbit Eye
A team of U.S. and Finnish Scientists announced this week that they have successfully completed trials of a remotely operated heads-up display fitted against the eye in the form of a contact lens. Though the test used a rabbit and the lens contained only one pixel, it’s a bold step forward that may someday realize the dream of being able to see like a Terminator. And really, what else could we hope for? 
In the trial, researchers led by Babak Praviz of the University of Washington used 5 mm long antenna printed directly on the lens, which could receive signals from a transmitter some 10cm from the rabbits eye. It works thanks to a super small LED embedded on a transparent sapphire chip. In order to lower the focal length required to display images directly on the surface of the eye, it uses the same layering as a Fresnel lens.
The researcher’s work has been published in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.
Powered remotely, the team proved that the chip could receive transmissions while on the rabbit’s eye. Interestingly, the team observed that the natural fluids present in the eye affected the transmission, which will be valuable information when designing future versions of the lenses. Though the tests were performed under general anesthetic, the researchers found no signs of damage to the rabbits’ eyes and one presumes that they lived to hop happily another day.
The team believes that their test will pave the way for more advanced multi pixel experiments and, hopefully, use in humans. Being able to display information directly to the user could have many applications in consumer electronics — imagine being able to play Angry Birds or iOS Minecraft without anyone being the wiser! However, there could be numerous military, navigational, and medical applications as well.
Though live animal trials is a valuable milestone, it’s still a long way away from sizing up a human to steal his clothes because you’re a time traveling robot. But when it comes to integrating digital information to the real world, AR and HUD technology is seen as a holy grail. This research could be the first step toward a completely different way of looking at the world.
ref: Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering via New Scientist 2011
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Residents With Disabilities Get Help In Illinois
This week a federal judge approved a settlement that will help thousands of disabled, low income Illinois residents move out of nursing homes.
Honorary U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow approved a deal Tuesday while at hearing in Chicago. The agreement settles accusations that Illinois violates the civil rights of disabled individuals by not providing sufficient housing choices.
Attorney for Access Living (advocacy group for the disabled), Patti Werner, thinks the hard work of implementing the agreement begins now and a monitor will be required to oversee the process.
In phase one of this deal, Illinois will spend $10 million on housing for at least 1,100 Cook County nursing home residents More people will be helped later.
Eyes Only
She may be blind but she sure can feel, smell, hear and love her great grand children . Bring a baby to a blind person for a visit, it will make her day!
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Ask First!
VISUALLY-IMPAIRED resident Joe Dimech has a request for would-be good Samaritans looking to lend a hand – just ask.
“Some people just come along and they grab you, and they should just ask [if you need help],” Mr Dimech said at the launch of Guide Dogs NSW’s ‘Don’t turn a blind eye’ campaign.
Parramatta councilor Andrew Bide, who was also on hand for the launch, said the campaign aimed to “make people aware they can be of assistance to people who are visually impaired.”
The Guide Dogs initiative stresses use of clear verbal communication when assisting those with impaired vision, like Mr Dimech, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa.
“People say to me, you know, walk straight but sometimes you don’t know what straight is,” he said.
As part of the campaign, Guide Dogs has set up a website with information on communication and guiding skills.
The campaign also seeks to raise public awareness about footpath obstructions.
“What we [sighted people] take for granted in overhanging branches and footpath obstructions are a serious obstacle for the visually impaired,” Cr Bide said.
Guide Dogs community education coordinator Jane Bryce said residents and business owners mindful of obstacles on footpaths made life easier for the visually-impaired.
Reference and credit–guidedogs.com.au
Blind man bowls a perfect game
A Morris Illinois man who has been legally blind since childhood, bowled a 300 game. Has spent many years perfecting his game, and he’s headed for the record books.
Ron Gooch has been a competitive bowler at Echo Lanes in Morris for many years and says he loves the game. Only 10 other legally blind bowlers have been known to bowl a perfect game in America, according to records expert and chairman of the rules committee for the American Blind Bowlers Association Wally Burmeister of Chicago. The manager of the bowling alley and two witnesses have confirmed that Gooch bowled a 300. The bowling alley has submitted documentation to the USBC and it will be recorded as a perfect game.
The moment has brought a small amount of unexpected fame for Gooch. At last weekend’s Grundy County Corn Festival people he didn’t even know were coming up and shaking his hand.
Mr Gooch was born with nystagmus. His eyes move involuntarily, leaving him with such blurred vision that he is legally blind. His optometrist Dr. Timothy Ortiz, was as impressed as anybody by his patient’s accomplishment.
Ron’s Dad, Dale Gooch, a long time bowler himself, started taking his son to Echo Lanes at age 6, with hopes that he would take up bowling; a game where timing, technique and muscle memory might overcome poor eyesight.
As a kid, Ron Gooch was constantly taunted as the “blind bastard” at school, so Gooch found bowling to be a refuge. God bless you Ron and keep up the good work 
Talking LabQuest Handheld Device
A new device, the Talking LabQuest, is a hand-held device that collects and stores scientific data and returns the results as audible speech. This wireless hand-held device will give visually impaired students greater freedom outside of the classroom. Cary Supalo who is a chemist experimenting with this new device thinks it’s almost like they designed it just for him.
Purdue Alum Cary Supalo, a blind person himself, is helping to create the applications needed to help individuals with disabilities. He is also the founder and president of a firm called Independence Science. This latest software development is taking him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a demonstration. This week he will be visiting the White House to demonstrate this device for blind and visually impaired which was created by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Supalo says his goal while visiting the White House will be to let the administration know that visually impaired students can become scientists and he hopes the White House will be the contact he needs to get these devices marketed to for the blind.
When he initially got his hand on one of these devices, he immediately decided that he wanted to make it talk so it could help empower people who are blind.
Cary said this is a tool designed to provide a more hands-on science experience for the visually challenged and for students that are blind or visually impaired.
With the help of funding from the National Science Foundation and existing technology from Vernier Software Technology Cary was able to create a text-to-speak application that allows people with vision challenges to hear the scientific information they have collected.
Cary wants to show this new application to the Obama Administration to inform them about what is now possible for people with blindness and low vision in the hopes of making the technology more available.
People with disabilities have an innate ability to problem solve and the Obama Administration claims to be committed to pursuing development in the engineering fields.
There is a large population of problem-solvers accessing and overcoming physical challenges. We need to integrate them to the scientific workforce. Because of their innate ability to problem solve we should apply their skills to engineering challenges.
Supalo has taken his product development one step further by teaming up with the Purdue Research Park. With this collaboration they’re letting students access their technology in advance of the public release, so can incorporate user input before it goes to market.
Supalo hopes his White House demonstration will help him turn a profit. They hope to make money on the technology and apply it around to further research and development of new products for the blind.
Text Messaging Device for the Blind
A student at the Dutch Technical University of Eindhoven has developed a device which enables blind people to send text messages using only one hand. 25 year old Guus Hilt created a plastic egg-shaped device he named Tactile Texting. The device is wirelessly connected to a phone. Tactile Texting has grooves that allow all letters and numbers to be accesses with just one hand. The letter being pressed is highlighted and then converted to text and transferred to a mobile phone.
Crosswalks Help Visually Challenged
Five intersections along No. 3 Road will be equipped with tactile and verbal message systems that, with the push of a button, will tell people either the name of the street they’re on or the name of the street they’re about to cross. There will also be a volume control and a raised arrow that vibrates to tell those hard of hearing which direction to walk.
It’s being called a major victory for the visually impaired. The City of Richmond is installing new technology to help the blind cross intersections. A blind Richmond man’s fight for more accessible crosswalks has resulted in the city testing new features at intersections.
Rob Sleath was about to proceed this week with a human-rights complaint against the city for not making crosswalks as accessible as possible for visually impaired people. The new devices will be programmed to say street names and give verbal prompts when it’s safe to cross.
Rob Sleath lost his sight 18 years ago and has spearheaded the campaign because crossing intersections was becoming too dangerous for him. “One of the issues for us, is sighted people can look up on any street corner and figure out where they are, but a visually impaired or blind person doesn’t have that option. There is no Braille, or verbal message, there is nothing.”
As for crosswalks, Sleath adds until the change, the visually impaired had no way of safely crossing. “When we are standing at a crossing, short of the sound of traffic there is no real way of knowing when that walk light comes on or the light goes green.”
Initially, the technology will be installed at five crosswalks and Sleath hopes other cities around the Lower Mainland will follow suit.
Indian Dance Company Collaborates with Local Troups
It takes a lot of work to bring together ideas that span continents, but sometimes an artist has to do just that.
Choreographer Chitra Krishnamurti put together her admiration for Helen Keller, the deaf and blind American author, political activist and lecturer, with dancers from her Nrityalaya classical Indian dance studio to create a multimedia performance that portrays Keller’s life and travels. The result will be performed Friday evening at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center on Montgomery College’s Rockville campus.
Original story–