Vision for the blind | Disabled life enhancements | TechKnow

Living, life in partial or total darkness. According. To the World Health Organization. Approximately. 253. Million people, globally a, vision impaired or a totally, blind. Today. On techno some, of the latest innovations making. It easier, to help people with sight problems navigate. Our complex, world if. You wanted to grab a basket to shop there, just like laid off with cider and. Even. Enjoy art again through, a gentle touch I think. There's so many people that I've met that would really. Appreciate, this, and later, of, populations. Age and impairments, become more prevalent a new, study to determine, what technology, is needed in the future to, ensure that people can live independently at, home, safer. And happier, we. Really need, to figure out ways to better help people as they age as they develop, various. Chronic conditions, and. Do it in a way that optimizes their, quality of life a scientific, look into the crystal ball of aging, this. Is techno, a show about innovations. That can change lives, we're. Going to explore the intersection of, hardware and. Humanity, and we're doing it in a unique wave, this. Is a show about science, by, scientists. New. York City an. Intersection. Similar, to many around the world city. Streets, often, a confusing, maze of speeding vehicles, near. Moving masses of people who, are simultaneously. Navigating. Sidewalks, traffic. Lights crosswalks. In construction, sites. Challenging. For most people, but, the complexity, of this intersection, increases. Dramatically, for, those with limited visibility or. For those who are blind. Technos. Dr. crystal Dilworth reports. Navigating. A major metropolitan, city is difficult, no matter who you are but, the visually, impaired, find it especially difficult, now. New technologies. Are being developed that. Can help even the playing field. Technology. Is really, really useful, at. The same time it's not like, technology, is just doing everything for me you, know it's helping me to do. Things myself, twenty-eight-year-old, Lindsay, yazell II know of Boston, Massachusetts visits. New York City often blind. Since birth years. Of training enable, her to navigate, these busy streets I'm using a cane and it's essentially a glorified, you know stick but, it does its job very well and new technology. Yeah it doesn't need to replace things but it can certainly enhance, what I'm able to do, 23rd. Street and 7th Avenue is, a New York City Department of Transportation pilot. Intersection, for new technology. In. 2011. The city installed the first ApS, or accessible. Pedestrian signal. Here. Today. Of the 12,000, 460. Intersections, controlled, by traffic lights in New York City, 209. Now, have ApS and, the number increases, by 75, each year. The. Beeping boxes are helpful, especially when you. Have an intersection, that's. A little more dicey it tells me that okay the light did just change so. I can go I should go now as long as it sounds, safe, these. Devices, while improving the safety aspect, of crossing streets are currently, in need of an innovative, update new, york city discovered, that after they had installed, these devices. But, people, people. Were still having difficulty. Crossing the street because of the increased. Complexity. With, the introduction, of dedicated.

Bike And bus lanes, so. They. Came up with the idea of actually, adding. A map, to, the sign in, this intersection a printed, tactile, diagram, is being tested with the accessible, pedestrian signal. Recently. Some, new innovations. In printing, have made it possible to, create very, low-cost. Tactile. Graphic, and Braille signs, that, are durable, enough to, put outside, lindsay. Demonstrates, the tactile map to pass her by george ashley Otis who's also blind so. If you feel the bail at the very top it says West 23rd sleep, so that's the, street. That would be crossing this, this line is, showing the direction of travel these. Arrows, your. Lanes of traffic so, you have you, have three you, have your three lanes. Of traffic where the cars are going you know some of you left here right there's a wide. Oh. You. Are. Now. You know what to expect any fuss doing nice, yeah, okay, yeah steve. Landau, says this is the first step in making traffic signals, more interactive. Future, generations, of science he says will actually, have a verbal, function, it'll, say car or bus or crosswalk. So by adding speech, by, adding, an, interactive. Aspect. To this we, can really make them universally accessible. I think the most exciting, potential, is technology that takes. Into account the, the skills, that. A. Person. Already has, and then. Fills in the gaps and also. To do. Different kinds of things that may be as. Easy for me to do now. Lexx. Gillette agrees. Blind. Since age 8 today, at 33, he's a US, Paralympic, athletic. Champion, who currently holds the long jump world record. While. His athletic, abilities, put him at the top of his sport some, complex, and even common, tasks, sighted people take for granted often. Challenge him, we, met Lex at a supermarket, in Ocean Beach California. How difficult, is it for you to, navigate. What someone like me would take take. For granted as a mundane tasks like grocery, shopping I think. It's one of those things where a, lot of times your stores will have a. Customer. Service area so I would go to that desk, that would require me to have a specific, list of items and there, are those times where you. You. You. Want to learn more about the product you want to learn what. Types of ingredients are in them and maybe, you want to make, a better. Selection, I'm an athlete so you, know a lot of times I'm very particular about what goes into my body recently. Lex. Sidestepped. The help desk for something decidedly. More high-tech, today, he's, shopping with IRA I like thanks for calling IRA this is Aaron I am. Actually, the, grocery. Store and I'm. Interested. In picking up a couple of things what, are you looking for today you. Know what I am, interested, in getting some. Lettuce. And tomatoes. And. Cucumbers. For a salad, already. So uh it's, got my scanning your head around so I can take a peek okay, so, the cash registers, are to the left, let's see where the produce is if you'll scan Oh alrighty, I see the produce market is to the right hand side if Lex is not shopping alone he's, connected, in real-time to an agent assistant, who could be hundreds, of miles away from him but is viewing exactly, where he is.

Aron. Kader is the manager, of agent operations, what. Does it mean to be an IRA agent, it means that we, get to assist the blind with their day-to-day tasks, and give them more independence, and freedom so, us. As sighted folks kind of take for Granta just jumping in the car and running to the grocery store to pick up a simple item and getting back home now. With, the use of IRA they can really incorporate that, and just jump, on public. Transportation, or an uber, and run to the grocery store without cited, assistance. It's two humans. One. Out there in the world one. Person sitting in front of a computer, connector. Through. Technology, and acting. As an individual. To, do a task or to, do an activity. You. Know experience, something, beautiful here's. How the system works spark, glasses with the built-in camera is paired, with an app on the user's phone when, they want assistance they press a button and via cellular service they're connected, to an agent those. Currently, using this technology are, called explorers, the, agent sees the video in real-time streaming, from the glasses that the Explorer is wearing, their GPS location and a full profile, on the user back in the supermarket, lex is navigating, the produce area there's, a gentleman with a cart he's stocking, the bananas, um he, just buys those so if you wanted to step forward. Here. The. Car is going to be here on the right and then we're directly in front of the right okay, so I see. Peppers. Potatoes. And, I see what I believe our cucumbers. If you, were to extend a hand you'll. Feel. Let's. See there will be potatoes, on the top and then the second row down will. Be cucumbers. So. I can't see, your hand in the camera if you don't mind tilting your chin to your chest slightly, so. The video drops down yeah okay perfect you've got a cucumber in your hand we teach them like how to, tuck their chin to their chest which is not you, know it's a kind of an awkward movement. For someone who doesn't have vision, is to, look down to the floor and look up to the ceiling so then you really build that rapport, and that teamwork, that's so interesting that those movements I would take for granted because, that's how I explore, my space wouldn't really be necessary yeah, it's interesting because when you say look down like to them they're like well I am looking down but if you say tuck your chin to your chest that, gives it more you know that more just that little bit more description. Really tells. Them exactly how far to look down if. You'll tuck your chin slightly down go down one row. Yep. And that's the Caesar for supreme, that your fingers cupcakes. So. It's got six the, croutons, expressing. In there, in the Parmesan cheese as, well. Okay. That's perfect yeah awesome. Are, you still interested in a tomato. Please. Yes okay let's, take a peek around so, typically. Tomatoes aren't refrigerated, so if you want to turn yeah do a full turn around the 300, at, 180, okay. So you don't see any tomatoes here. And on the other side where onions so let's head towards the right-hand side. And. If you'll pause here and turn your scan your head okay. Great I see tomatoes on the aisle that's on your left-hand side so if you were to move for a couple of steps they're actually at the very end of this case here the, tomatoes, are on your right hand side so well. Now that you're out, there on the left-hand side so go down, this way so pause here and. I believe the if you want to extend your hand now directly in front of you these are either apples, or tomatoes. Alright. Tomato. Okay. And if you'll just tuck your chin slightly yep. That sure is a tomato so it's a red ripe tomato I don't, see any dents.

Or Welts or holes in it while grocery shopping, is just one small task in Lex's life he, uses this technology for more complex, situations, like, traveling, through airports, or visiting, major cities, for the first time so. For me there are those times where you want. To have that. Specific, information you want as many details as possible and, so for. Example I went to Vegas, so I was like you know what I want to go out I want, to like hit the streets of Vegas let's see what's happening and, I. Caught. Up IRA and. They. Were able to navigate me, around I'm walking around on the strip it was really, it, was just an amazing, amazing. Experience because, I, just. Felt really empowered and. And I, hadn't, done anything like, that before. We do have like you know low thousands of people who, are using the service explorers we, want to get I've pretty, much into, the hands of you know a blind, person, in the world a grand, task since, there is a cost to using this technology the subscription ranges from $89. A month all the way to three, hundred and twenty nine dollars a month now on the higher end three twenty nine dollars its, unlimited use of service at. The glasses were for free the data is. Free they don't pay for the data are incur, the cellphone usage and. We also include. Insurance, associated. With eyeglasses. So. There's daisies, and purple flowers and three sunflowers. In here and a couple of red flowers, as well it could be roses, I'm not sure if they're red roses okay. Already. So if you want to move to the checkout line more. Maneuver. Around this flower. Stand, so you'll run forward, a few steps and then turn to the left. It's. Perfect we're, exploring, your new terrain new environments. New everything. That that, out you. Know I have. Not you, know seen in the sentence so. That. Exploration, process, is it's amazing, and I'm. Glad that we. Have that technology available to us this. Is a boon for blind people right, now in technology there, is so much going on to. Help people. It's. Phenomenal, it's way. Better than that way when I was younger meat, art lover Dennis Peron, since, becoming blind later in life he gave up visiting, museums until. Today a, neuroscientist. Famously, proposed, if there were nine ways that our brains help us to appreciate visual. Art but, how do you appreciate, a painting, that you can't see the answer, might be here at the San Diego Museum of, Art where they're taking an innovative, approach to making art accessible, to the visually impaired, dennis, is here to experience a masterpiece, especially, designed for the visually impaired. Museum. Associate, curator Michael. Brown describes. The original, we're, standing in front of Juan Sanchez cotons, masterpiece. Still. Life with quince cabbage, cucumber. And melon it, was painted in 1602, in Toledo. In Spain and it. Is a, groundbreaking. Example. Of still life painting at the very earliest decade. Of the of the 17th makes it so special, miss painting, was, a, really. Pioneering, depiction. Of. Three-dimensional. Illusion so he's using in two dimensions, he is creating, an imaginary. Tactile. Experience. Do, you think it's possible to. To. Give that same impression to, someone that's not able to visually, see this painting absolutely. Because I think that that. One of the one, of the ways that we interact, best, with with, the public and. Of all, different, abilities is. Telling. Stories and the, stories helped. To bring, works of art to life and although. We can't touch this painting. Itself we, can touch the replica, and filled. With those stories understand, it in 2014. We, had this, made, so that. People who, can't see, this. Painting can. Still experience it, so tell me how this replica, is different, from the real thing so, first of all you can touch it right.

And, When you look. At the real, thing you're, gonna want to touch it which is exactly what, Dennis Peron did for the first time today. Find. Two leaves missed at the top of the place, notice. Also a small blemish on the lower right hand side, of the fruit the. Painter wanted to show the quince exactly, as it appeared to him including, its imperfections. I definitely. Can feel that imperfection it's. Interesting the. Melon rests on the windowsill, near the middle of the painting the. Rough exterior, scan of the melon wraps around the lower portion. Someone. Has removed several slices of fruit and one, of these slices can be found sitting on the windowsill immediately. To the right another. Image positioned. At the front edge of the sill has, been sliced from the melon to its left, notice. The rough texture, of the rind and the small region on the right side of the ledge, directly. To the left the. Keuka well. I went past it does. The repetition, help directly to the left so, it's transition. Yes it does but I still miss what's you. Know it's a new experience, you. Know there's a rough thing here I don't know what that's representing. You know where my finger I think what you're touching is that it's, rough in this model, but in real life it would be very soft at that sort of pulpy, connection. Okay. That's where me having that. Difficulty. The second time you explored, the painting, you were starting to add sort of layers to, the experience, after you've, gone through the entire thing once, do you think that the same is true for tactile. Models, of paintings, in general but more experiences, help that's a good question that could be it's the first time I've done anything like this and I was kind of trying to block out the you. Know the narration, so, that I was actually experienced, in myself it actually did get better that's for sure but how important, is it for these efforts to be made for art galleries, to be, creating, things like this for people like you I think, it's crucial I think there's so many people that I've met that would really. Appreciate, this, these. Are just a few of the accessibility, technologies. Currently in use and as. Our populations, age more, innovation, is needed to meet the demands of people who become impaired as they get older we, pick up that part of the story in Portland, Oregon, a.

Major. Study called cart, collaborative. Aging, research, using. Technology, from the National, Institutes, of Health is currently. Underway to assess, accessibility. Strategies, for, senior citizens, so, they can extend their ability, to live independently as. Part. Of the study over 200. Senior citizen, households, across the United States are wired. With activity. Trackers, will start at, the home of Beverly, Healey ok, Beverly so we're we're, in your home and you're wired up here with a lot of sensors, tell me what we have well, as we come in the door there's a sensor on the door which, simply means the doors been open, and it's, assumed that somebody's, coming or going 82, year old Beverly Healey, is a volunteer, test subject, in a study looking at what happens in the home as we age and what, accessibility strategies. Can be created, in the future to, remain independent, for. Longer her. Home has over 20 sensors, monitoring. Her every move. Dr.. Jeffery K of Oregon, Health and Science University is. The principal, investigator, of the study if. You ask people what. They want to. Happened, to them as they get older. 90%. 99% will, say I want to stay in, my home or where I want to be as I get older on. The other hand of course people say. That because they. Fear going to a nursing home they fear developing. Alzheimer's. Ease which is actually now the most feared. Condition. In America. So. We. Really need, to figure out ways to better help people as they age as they develop, various. Chronic conditions, so in the ceiling going down the hall you'll see a series of motion, detectors, that, say how fast I'm walking, this is my usual gait, and if that should show slow appreciably. They. Would notice that and they'd say something's, wrong Beverly's, not moving as fast as she usually does, she's. Lost her energy what's happening, we are integrating. Multiple, types of data that, comes. In 24/7. That. Reflects. Real day-to-day, function, across. That the main things that make a difference in people's lives so what we're able to measure or, monitor, with the technologies. Are, things. Like mobility, sleep. Cognitive. Function, so in here is my pillbox which, is monitored by the modem. On my. Computer, and when, I open, it up in the morning or the evening to take my fills that. Registers, on the computer so, you've got pills for every day of the week here yes, and it's, just getting a sense of whether or not you open that yes not necessarily, if you took it I guess but, no there's no way they could know that but, they can know that, I've come to the pillbox I've opened it up and I was tense ibly I've taken the pills out and swallowed them Thomas Riley is an information, technology systems. Architect, at Oregon Health and Science University I. Developed. The software and, work on our servers that collects the data from the sensors and brings it back and stores it now, can you show me some of the information that you're getting sure, so right here we have display. From our database, so, this is the sensor identifier, and this is the timestamp and here you can see she's not present, within the in that room so the 30 says not present, 30 says not present, and so right here at this timestamp, she becomes present, in the room she doesn't for ten seconds, and then. She, comes back in a couple three, seconds later it's, the president for another ten seconds, so, this is just one sensor, in medicine, changes, everything and most change we detect is by, self-report, you go to a doctor's, office and, what, does the doctor do they. Will ask you a series of questions did, you take your medications, are you exercising. How are you sleeping and we all do our best to, try to understand. That but. It's, very hard and we know from our own studies that, people actually are rather inaccurate. In fact in how they are, able to report with. The data that we get were able to get the actual data, and then you can imagine going. Forward. That if, you were to come to a doctor's, office, imagine.

That Instead. Of asking you all these questions not, only just were known but it's the real information. It's, the actual events that are happening and then, the appointment, would be spent more in providing. Care and counseling, as, opposed to, questioning. Where do you see some of the innovations, what's on the horizon, in terms of, accessibility. For. The. Elderly and senior, citizens, there. Will be a natural shift to more comfort, in just having, technology around, and using it voice recognition. Continues. To advance quite rapidly, so. The interface, for how you. Conduct. Interviews. How. You, interact. With technology in general is, very, rapidly, changing, the data they're collecting is. Helpful, as its, grouped with data, they're collecting from, other people just like me who are also contributing, to the program, and that. Somewhere, years. From now or months. From now, the, data that they're collecting and. Assimilating. Will. Create, a pattern of aging, for, people, who. Are 20 years younger than I am and feel happy about it that's it for now I'm dr. Shanice Aymara see you next time on techno. You.

2017-12-19 16:03

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