The car that the blind can drive

Losing my sight has meant I have had to give up driving.  Maybe I need one of these.  Wired.com reports on a new car which is so technologically advanced even blind people can drive.

The dune buggy was developed by undergraduate students at Virginia Tech, as part of a challenge from the National Federation of the Blind.  It tells the driver which way to go and gives a countdown to upcoming corners.  The cars laser range finder estimates distance and various vibrations in a specially worn vest and voice software convey commands to the driver so they know when to turn, break and other actions.

"We are not only excited about the vehicle itself, but also the potential spinoff technologies from this project that could end up helping the blind,"

Quote from Dennis Hong, the director of the Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory on Wired.com

Read the full story by clicking here.