1. Proposal number 15. 2. Should this proposal be considered for the Best Proposal prize? (yes/no) yes 3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the overall organization/clarity of the proposal? (1-10) 10 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the overall project idea? (1-10) 9 Then write 2-3 pages of helpful feedback to the proposal's author(s). The following questions should help you organize your feedback: * Overall, is the proposal clear, concise, and well-organized? Yes. The proposal was very well written and easy to read. The background information writeup was particularly good and the diagrams were very well done. The author’s passion for the topic is very apparent. * Does the proposal meet the posted proposal guidelines? Yes * How does the project idea fit within the framework of Developmental Robotics? It is related to developmental robotics, in the areas of perception, sensory substitution, and tool use. * Describe what you like BEST about the project idea. Very interesting application and fascinating use of technology. An imaginative approach to the project! *Describe what you like LEAST about the project idea. If I had to pick anything, it would be that it is more directly related to man-machine interface than to developmental robotics. * Do you have any concerns about the project? This is a super-interesting project. A concern would be whether the image capture would work in the dark (I am unsure whether little or no sunlight implies a cloudy day or means night). Has the system been tested under the proposed operating conditions? A related concern would be using the system while in motion. The author did mention not doing any testing at high speeds, but will this work when moving at any speeds? (I am just a little familiar with the Kinect and have not used one personally. Other systems I have used can be a bit finicky if they are not set up ‘just so’.) * Does it seem doable in the remaining time? It seems very ambitious, but the author seems to have a strong engineering background and also has access to the tools and materials needed for the project. * Does it seem too difficult? It seems like there are a lot of aspects to this project. If these are all new libraries, it could prove to be pretty challenging. * Are there any major details left out? I would have liked more detail about the vibrotactile grid, for example how large is it, what is it made of, what sort of discrimination between objects should the user be able to make from the sensations generated by the grid? * Does the idea rely upon technologies that are not currently available? The project makes very innovative use of currently available technology. * Do you have any suggestions for improvement? I wondered about a learning curve for the human driver in terms of being able to interpret the data from the vibrotactile grid. Was any consideration given to how the user would gain context and make sense of the data? Will you be using more than one human subject? Another question for the research might be, will this work without the camera directly connected to the body of the operator. To tie more directly into developmental robotics it would have been interesting to include ideas for ways this technology could be used in robotics (If applicable). Also I might have missed this, but does the vehicle used in the study have a built in camera will you be mounting an external camera or using the Kinect camera? Who will be the driver (you or someone else). Who will be manipulating the test conditions and what will the objects be? Will the driver be blindfolded prior to starting the test (so as not to see the obstacles)? If when you say little or no sunlight if you mean night, I would be concerned about visibility in the sense of how easy will it be to perceive objects in reduced lighting conditions. * Do you have any suggestions for related work that should be cited? No * Any other comments or suggestions? It seems like a really cool idea! Kudos to you for a very innovative idea and interesting proposal. I do not have the hardware or technical background to provide very much in the way of suggested improvements. Looking forward to seeing the results of your project.