Twenty Blind People Drive Car Engineered by Va. Tech Students

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- Several blind people got behind the wheel of high-tech dune buggies designed by Virginia Tech engineering students at the National Federation for the Blind summer camp who serve 200 blind youth from across the country.

Virginia Tech was the only university to take on the challenge from the federation to build a vehicle that would let blind people drive. Students from the engineering school created the buggy that uses a laser sensor to navigate the road which communicates to the driver the necessary speed and warns them when to stop through a vibrating vest. The buggy also uses a headset that gives voice commands on which way to turn.