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Musical Road Monitor

So smartphone users and the blind can finally drive
 
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It has already been demonstrated that visual feedback is an inadequate means of driver input. Furthermore, no one really wants to look while they are driving, but they still want the freedom to drive. So let's make the visual spectrum redundant.

The position, direction and velocity of cars around you is translated into a symphony of sound. Really it could be programmed to translate basic factors into whatever you like, but here's one example. Suppose a large vehicle which comes up behind you, passes you and your left, and cuts you off. You would hear the following:

As the vehicle approaches from behind you, you hear a low b flat quickly pulsing at a constant rate from the rear speaker slowly gaining in volume. He accelerates as he changes lanes to pass you, you hear this as an acceleration of the pulsing, and a gradual change in speakers from the rear to the left. All the while, volume is increasing as the car overtakes you, only decreasing after you've been passed. As he cuts you off, you hear a brief acceleration in the pulsing as the sound switches to the front speaker, and begins to fade in volume as he zooms ahead.

The driver can set parameters, or call out key and mode changes, as well as "conduct" the symphony by driving erratically. If your artistic whims require that B-flat to increase in tempo more quickly, simply slam on your brakes as it approaches from behind.

Signs are sung to you at predefined special notes according to type. "stop stop stop STOP STOP".

The vehicle itself becomes a percussion idiophone.

Also eliminates that problem where you are looking at the smartphone and can't see that the light has changed and everyone is moving.

fishboner, Nov 05 2012

Visual Feedback more distorted by speed than you thought http://researchnews...archive/seeline.htm
those lines in the road are 30 feet long [fishboner, Nov 05 2012]

Perspective explained http://www.youtube....watch?v=8vbd3E6tK2U
[spidermother, Nov 05 2012]

[link]






       "Even when the students were standing some distance away from actual 10-foot lines or riding by them in a car, they judged the size to be the same: two feet."   

       It seems to be about perspective, rather than speed (link).
spidermother, Nov 05 2012
  

       //It seems to be about perspective, rather than speed.//   

       That makes sense. It makes the point about visual feedback's danger more effectively. Also, I said the lines were 30 feet long in the post. That is actually the distance between the lines.
fishboner, Nov 05 2012
  

       //Signs are sung to you at predefined special notes according to type. "stop stop stop STOP STOP".   

       The vehicle itself becomes a percussion idiophone.//   

       The car could even be equipped with a large gramophone needle which engages in grooves in the road wherever we normally have road signs. Maybe exepting directional signs with very many place names on them as it could get a bit tedious.
TomP, Nov 05 2012
  
      
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