Background
So about a year ago, I went traveling to China or Shanghai more specifically. While traveling the streets and subways/buses I began to notice a pattern in the streets. It seem intentional, so I ask what this was. I was told it was for the blind. Here is a set of photos showing the pattern:
The one in the middle is most complicated since it lines for direction and swirls for off the track. Although you cannot see the edge for the one on the right,
the end near the street has points/dots signifying end for crossing street. As a blind person hits these by dragging the cane, they can know direction and end of side walk.
Mission
Can I devise an electronic substitute to work in the other parts of the world that can assist a blind person like the above examples. This is where the Beagle Bone AI comes in. I would like it to recognize the sidewalk and intersections. When these are detected, a audio alert is given for the user to guide them. Also as a bonus effort, can cars be detected and lights be detected, so more audio alerts can help cross the street. To add fun and make this interesting I plan to involve the community with other blogs and occasional polls to guide the project.
First Poll
For the first poll and help, I need to decide a a project name. Have have a few choices and will pick the best or most popular one. Please leave any comments or reasons why you think yours is better than the others. Thank you!
