Abstract

Part 4: New Interaction Techniques; International audience; The paper presents a case of Smart Shoes that uses ultrasonic sensors to detect the obstacle in front of the user. Additionally, this shoe signals a user by tapping at the foot arch. An evaluative study of the Smart Shoes was conducted with (n = 31) users; (17) blind people, (9) low vision and (5) non-disabled users. The study was conducted to judge reliability of the Smart Shoes by evaluating it from (a) ratio of obstacles identified to total obstacles encountered, (b) distance of obstacle apprehension and (c) response time. The study was conducted in a controlled and definite environment. The results from the study illustrate this footwear to be 89.5% effective in detecting obstacles such as vehicles, people, furniture, footpaths, poles, and miscellaneous obstacles with a mean response time of 3.08 s. Users average distance of obstacle apprehension was 108 cm in regular mode and 50 cm in the crowd mode. The future research & evaluative studies will be conducted in actual operational/moving environments. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

AbstractInterest is growing regarding the potential size of a future U.S.-dedicated carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline infrastructure if carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies are commercially deployed on a large scale within the United States. This paper assesses the potential scale of the CO2 pipeline system needed under two hypothetical climate policies (WRE450 and WRE550 stabilization scenarios); a comparison is then made to the extant U.S. pipeline infrastructures used to deliver CO2 for enhanced oil recovery and to move natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons from areas of production and importation to markets. The analysis reveals that between 11,000 and 23,000 additional miles of dedicated CO2 pipeline might be needed in the United States before 2050 across these two cases. While either case represents a significant increase over the 3900 miles that comprise the existing national CO2 pipeline infrastructure, it is important to realize that the demand for additional CO2 pipeline capacity will unfold relatively slowly and in a geographically dispersed manner as new dedicated CCS-enabled power plants and industrial facilities are brought online. During the period 2010–2030, this analysis indicates growth in the CO2 pipeline system on the order of a few hundred to less than 1000 miles per year. By comparison, during the period 1950–2000, the U.S. natural gas pipeline distribution system grew at rates that far exceed these growth projections for a future CO2 pipeline network in the U.S. This analysis indicates that the need to increase the size of the existing dedicated CO2 pipeline system should not be seen as a major obstacle for the commercial deployment of CCS technologies in the United States. While there could be issues associated with siting specific segments of a larger national CO2 pipeline infrastructure, the sheer scale of the required infrastructure should not be seen as representing a significant impediment to U.S. deployment of CCS technologies. Document type: Report