News: Car that puts blind

Car that puts blind in driver's seat       Washington: Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are trying to make that far-flung notion a reality.        The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype nehicle next year equipped with technology that helps a blind person drive a car independently. The technology, called "nonvisual interfaces," uses sensors to let a blind driver maneuver a car based on information transmitted to him about his surroundings: whether another car or object is nearby, in front of him or in a neighboring lane.        Advocates for the blind consider it a "moon shot," a goal similar to president John F Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon. For many blind people, driving a car has been considered impossible.        "We're exploring areas that have previously been regarded as unexplorable," said Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind. The vehicle will use non visual interfaces to help a blind driver operate the car. One interface, called DriveGrip, uses gloves with vibrating motors on areas that cover the knuckles. The vibrations signal to the driver when and where to turn.         Another interface, called AirPix, is a tablet with multiple air holes. Compressed air coming out of the device hilps inform the driver of his or her surroundings, essentially creating a map of the objects around a vehicle. It would show whether there's another vehicle in a nearby lane or an obstruction in the road. A blind person will drive the vehicle on a course near the famed Daytona race track and attempt to simulate a typical driving experience.