launcht The buzz around Autonomous Cars and its future is growing everyday and there seems to be little, that one can do to contain it; such has been its growth. Now while pondering upon such benefits, there came a thought as to how these cars could revolutionize the concept of transportation for Disabled people to get around their communities and even travel far from home.
Autonomous vehicle technology on its own is not enough to help these people become more independent, but simultaneous advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence can enable these vehicles to understand spoken instructions, observe nearby surroundings and communicate with people. Together, these technologies can provide independent mobility with practical assistance that is specialized for each user’s abilities and needs.
A lot of the necessary technology already exists, at least in preliminary forms. Google has asked a blind person to test its autonomous vehicles. And Microsoft recently released an app called “Seeing AI” that helps visually impaired people better sense and understand the world around them. “Seeing AI” uses machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision to understand the world and describe it in words to the user.
At the Texas A&M University, researchers are currently developing machine-learning algorithms that behave like good human drivers do, mimicking how humans respond to unforeseen circumstances. With proper planning and research, autonomous vehicles can provide even more people with significantly more independence in their lives.
