AI6YR BenHmm, I am curious how many wheelchair users are asking for AI- and drone-enabled wheelchairs.
IEEE: AI Aims for Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation
New chairs track obstacles while drones map the room
AprazethAs someone whom had to support and push their own wheelchair bound mom around (my early/pre-puberty, so pre 2000) I think I am somewhat familiar with how things work and don't.
This? This is shit. What is needed is accessibility applied to places so fancy, expensive, and often fragile, proprietary tech isn't needed.
It is creating yet another dependence on external factors.
Are there cases where this tech might help? Maybe. But let us focus on making places accessible firstly.
Ask the community what they want and need rather then what some souped up washed out coked up techbro has sharted out.
Money and attention that could really help people is now being funneled into some hustle project that will benefit few to none other then th
But nooooo let's not attempt to fix society in a meaningful way when we can extract more money and inflict indignity upon others.
... Yes, this pissed me off.
I have had to help my mom in situations that were beyond appalling. Having to run inside to the front desk to get the keys for the wheelchair elevator while she had to wait in the soaking rain. Doors that can't be operated from a wheelchair, curbs, thresholds, single accessibility toilet at the other end of the building...
rand ❌👑@Aprazeth @ai6yr I was waiting at a light yesterday (on my bike) and watched as a woman on a scooter had to navigate around the curb cutout to get to the beg button. Then she had to reverse course so that she could use the curb cutout to cross the street. And I complain that I can’t get to the buttons from my bike on the street without getting onto the sidewalk. Our accommodations, when they exist are messed up.
Absolutely. That is the thing; proper bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure will benefit everyone.
Equalized crossings (as in, no curb) are easier for everyone; wheelchair, strollers, people using canes etc.
The curb cutting effect, as I believe it is called.
Next time someone is advocating for pedestrian or bicycle infrastructure, mention that it benefits people in wheelchairs, and/or mobility scooters as well.
Might just wake some politicians up to these plights.
I distinctly remember pushing my mom in a wheelchair in the bicycle lane because of that exact reason: curbs at the traffic lights. Recent adjustments in the Netherlands now usually mean equalized crossings, and as maintenance or new roads are built, this gets put into place.
Politicians tend to complain about cost, and that's the thing. As soon as maintenance is being done on a road or crossing, install it at that point. Negates a LOT of the so called costs or impact.
Once you know about these things and become aware of them - you'll notice them everywhere.
People noticing and sharing their experiences and observations is a good thing. Awareness leads to action, hopefully.
So, thank you 🩵
... Sorry for the longer reply (this is something I feel very deeply about as very evident by now. Sorry again)
@Aprazeth @ai6yr No apology needed! Thank you for your insights.
One thing about curb cuts around here (SF Bay Area), is the inconsistency of where they are added in relation to direction of travel. The example I saw yesterday was a single curb cut at the apex of the corner.
So assuming an expected direction of travel, e.g. a continuous line from one sidewalk across the street to the side walk on the other side. The curb cut is not in that line. You fallow the sidewalk, arrive at the corner, make a 45 degree turn to enter the street, turn back to the sidewalk, cross the street and repeat the process to get back on the sidewalk. Some corners have two cuts, perhaps in line with the sidewalk, but then the crosswalk is ½ in line, it is often set back away from the intersection. This is confusing to pedestrians who don't have to deal with a disability. I'm sure there is a reason for this meandering across the street, but it drives me nuts.
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@Aprazeth @ai6yr And in this case, the woman had to go left at the corner to reach the signal pole that had the button on it. And then back up to access the curb cut that was angled to the right. While much better than finding a driveway somewhere down the street, it is still not ideal. I think that designers of this infrastructure should have to navigate them in person. But they are just being added to comply with laws, not for actually helping people.
Oh and sometimes the added curb cuts have to work around a storm drain that was placed right where you might want to add the cut.
Observing these things is something I have been doing since my first "real" job working for a woman who had to get around in a motorized chair. Going a few blocks to lunch was often an eye opener.
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