Technological innovations in transportation for people with disabilities

This is a report sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration.

From the Introduction to this Report we extract the following: There is a need to explore the suite of new technologies, such as wireless, dedicated short range communication (DSRC), global positioning systems (GPS), object detection, and robotics to find methods, tools, or devices that offer persons with different impairments accessible transportation to meet their individual needs.

Right now there are some systems designed to help to overcome the barriers faced faced by visually impaired people like:

• Large tactile print maps
• Accessible GPS
• Geographical information systems (GIS)
• Variable message signs
• Remote infrared audible signals (RIAS)
• Real time information systems
• Vehicle "destination" and "next stop" signs
• Accessible ticket machines
• Detectable warning surfaces

However, there is a lot of space and market to new inventions and innovations in the fields of:

• Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication
• Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) systems for positioning with computing capabilities with the ability for the traveler to interact with the infrastructure.

The report goes deeper into robotic applications, object detection, navigation, wayfinding, orientation and guidance.

Download now Technological innovations in transportation for people with disabilities.