Basketball for the Blind
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 06/06/2005

Engineering undergraduates from Johns Hopkins University have designed and
built a system that uses sound emitters in the ball and on the backboard to
enable blind people to play basketball. 

In the system, a large piezoelectric sound emitter powered by a 9-volt
battery and mounted behind the backboard sends out low pulse tones to help
players locate their shooting target. A remote control is used to turn it on
and off. A smaller sound emitter, embedded in the basketball and powered by
five 3-volt button batteries, sends out a higher continuous tone to tell
players where the ball is. 

For more information, visit:
http://www.jhu.edu/~news_info/news/home05/may05/bball.html

Links:
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland
http://bism.org/

Johns Hopkins Department of Mechanical Engineering
http://www.me.jhu.edu/

Johns Hopkins women's basketball
http://hopkinssports.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/jhop-w-baskbl-body.html

Spalding Infusion basketball
http://www.spalding.com/infusion/index.php

