Scientists Will Present Car For Blind Drivers Next Year – The National Federation of the Blind and US Scientists are developing a car for the blind and they will present a prototype next year.

According to theNFB and Virginia Tech University, the vehicle will be fitted with a technology that will allow a blind person to drive independently. Non-visual aids include sensors that will indicate turns in the road via vibrating gloves. Puff of compressed air on the face will alert the driver to obstacles.

Other additional aids to be fitted will include a vibrating vest that will give feedback on speed and a steering wheel with audio cues and spoken commands that will indicate the car’s direction.

Last year, Virginia Tech turned a beach buggy into an experimental vehicle for blind drivers. They used sensor lasers and cameras to serve as the eyes of the buggy.

Meanwhile, the NFB announced that the model to be presented next year will be a modified Ford Escape sport utility vehicle. According to Marc Maurer, the NFB president, they are moving away from the theory that blindness ends the capacity of human beings to make contributions to society.

Next January, the prototype is expected to be publicly tested by a blind driver on the Daytona race track in Florida.