The event will be used to demonstrate advances -- in this case from the National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Polytechnic Institute -- in the Blind Driver Challenge, which aims to create nonvisual interfaces that would allow blind drivers to navigate the road along with sighted drivers. Advocates of the cause call the challenge a "moon shot," equating it to President John F. Kennedy's challenge to put a human being on the moon.

Currently, first-generation aspects of the technology can be seen on a modified dune buggy, which sports tools such as a single plane laser range finder, which pulls in information about the environment surrounding the vehicle and translates it to a number of car-human interfaces. One example is a tactile vest, which, through a series of motors, creates specific signals that tell the driver that an emergency stop is needed, or that she has exceeded the speed limit. A similar system is set up through tactile signals translated through the steering wheel, though the basic navigation system is a series of clicks through which the driver can gather information about her surroundings; depending on the frequency and direction of the audible clicks, she can recognize the size and location of other cars or obstacles.

For more on the Blind Driver Challenge and where its current technology is being demonstrated today, check out this article over at Gizmag.