Project Blind-Spot

Team name: 

Team MEECS

Team mentor:

Professor Michael Green

Team members:

Faisal Alshaka (EE)

Narvik Ghahremanians (CpE)

Lynn Dannan (EE)

Gaurav Venkatesh (CpE)

Project Update

Project Idea Introduction:

Introduction and Problem Statement:

The deaf community has commonly been a marginalized and disenfranchised part of society, and the increasing sweep of technological advancements throughout recent years have often emphasized the alienation of that critical group of our civilization. While there have been increasing efforts to help the deaf community integrate better into our continuously evolving times, there still remain many challenges to overcome and many solutions to create in order to make it easier for people with disabilities to coalesce into the ever changing technologies of our time at the same pace as the rest of society.

In an effort to tackle this imperative problem, we decided to focus our attention on creating technology that will assist deaf drivers in operating their vehicles safely and easily. More specifically, this technology will comprise of alerting deaf drivers to incoming honking and sirens. To understand the historical narrative of such an issue, an article by Jessica Hester aims to address the discrimination against deaf drivers that started as early as the 1920s. According to Hester, there were laws being passed in several different states that kept deaf drivers away from the streets and driving. We can see the troubling mentality inflicting public thought early on in the driving realm, where it was thought that deaf drivers do not have the right qualifications to gain the privilege of driving. This, of course, is a big misconception.

While research has not been conducted thoroughly on the topic, a study by Coppin and Peck in 1964 did demonstrate that hearing capability rendered less accidents. It is important to note that the inconsistencies in statistical research do not yield a definitive answer regarding that topic. However, it is also equally critical to point out that most studies have only taken place between 1930 and 1970, and the advance in technology since then has been immense. New cars that drive at very high speeds have been introduced into the market as well as new freeways and roads that make it increasingly dangerous and more difficult for all people to drive on. While the inability to capture audible sounds can sometimes present itself as a hindrance in some critical situation, it is something that can be overcome using implementable technology. Our system will provide assistance that make it safer for deaf drivers to operate their vehicles. They will be able to act accordingly and efficiently to specific situations, as well as react properly to sirens and other car horns that could end up saving not only their lives but also other people’s lives. It is important to make driving pleasing and stress free for deaf drivers and our system aims at achieving exactly that.

Bill of Materials (BOM):