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A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Honks

 Horn or emergency alarm indicator for the hearing impaired
  (+19)(+19)
(+19) 		  [vote for,
against]

The hearing impaired drive without the benefit of a significant amount of auditory information. From the friendly (mostly friendly, anyway) "the light is green" honk to the more important "there's a firetruck bearing down the intersection you're about to cross", their safety and the safety of others would be improved if this information was available to them

Using the latest DSP technology, display the source and type of auditory event directly on to the navigation display, including directional information -- which would be helpful even to hearing drivers

—theircompetitor, Oct 28 2004

The lower-tech version... http://www.halfbake...al_20Smart_20Sirens
[RayfordSteele, Oct 30 2004]

[link]






       like it [+]
—Pericles, Oct 28 2004
   

       Really wouldn't be too hard to bake. Basic, cheap, analog version could be set up using an array of directional microphones, a simple circuit, and a panel of LEDs. More expensive versions with sound recognition and LCD display would be bakable as well.
—Worldgineer, Oct 28 2004
   

       <--- Idiot next to you with stereo pounding

Needs new brake pads --->
—Mr Burns, Oct 28 2004
   

       Beautiful illustration, [Mr Burns]. Sums it up nicely and with words!
—bristolz, Oct 28 2004
   

       I misread this as "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Monks" and got a totally different image in my head.
—david_scothern, Oct 28 2004
   

       +
—nomadic_wonderer, Oct 28 2004
   

       Heck, I have normal hearing and I'd like to have this too. Half the time when I'm in traffic and hear a honking horn, I can't tell from which direction it came.
—krelnik, Oct 29 2004
   

       This is a great idea. Perhaps a "rumble box" style setup in the driver's seat cushioning which would vibrate compass-point wise to give direction and intensity of sound avoiding having attention being diverted to a visual display. +
—Nontaigne, Nov 02 2004
   

       It might be simpler to have this a PDA style auto accessory style system which can be transfered easily from vehicle to vehicle. Using four small suction cup microphones to attach to the windows, and a small laser procestor on the dashboard that can project onto the windshield. That way detection would be omnidirectional and there could be a 360 degree representation on the windshield that is in effect a heads up display. It could look like a compass with an arrow pointing in the direction of the disturbance and that could be longer or shorter depending on the percieved decibel level of the sound. The only problems I could see logistically speaking would be noise from inside your own vehicle causing interference. This could be corrected using a fifth microphone at the center inside of the vehicle and a noise cancelling cicuit inside the device. Altogether a good idea, and I think quite marketable.
—joeseed, Feb 13 2006
   
      
[annotate]
   


 

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