The nonvisual user interfaces we develop can be used for applications other than for driving -- in everyday home appliances, in office settings, in educational settings.

CNN: Why we made a car for blind drivers

The idea of abstraction is so central to the history of modern art that it left its mark on the work of nonvisual artists as well.

WSJ: The Seductive Lure of Abstraction | Sightings by Terry Teachout

But Maugham's sly quip also reminds us that nonvisual "abstraction, " for all its historical significance, has never become truly popular with mass audiences and neither, for that matter, has visual abstraction.

WSJ: The Seductive Lure of Abstraction | Sightings by Terry Teachout

Third, there were some people who questioned whether the type and amount of information being received by the driver from the nonvisual user interfaces we have developed for the vehicle would be sufficient.

CNN: Why we made a car for blind drivers

Regarding the capability of the blind, I believe that with the right nonvisual user interfaces, once we can deliver all the information needed to safely operate the vehicle to the driver, the blind can perform as well as, or possibly even better than the sighted.

CNN: Why we made a car for blind drivers

The focus of autonomous vehicle research is on developing intelligent vehicles, or artificial intelligence for cars in some sense, while the focus of the blind driver challenge vehicle is developing methods to convey a vast amount of information to the driver through nonvisual means, fast enough and accurately enough for safe driving.

CNN: Why we made a car for blind drivers