ult, blind people accessing information via Tormes will be able to distinguish indi- vidual streets as they approach them. Ruben Dominguez, a blind mathematician who has tried out the device, says, "This completes what exists for assisting blind people: the dog or the white cane, but furthermore it will really improve the life of the blind com- munity by giving a lot more autonomy when moving around town, especially in unknown places." EGNOS is scheduled to become operational by 2005. THE CRITICAL LAST INCH-INPUT AND OUTPUT TECHNOLOGIES 9.11.3 Speech-Controlled Arm Using two motors, speech-recognition software, and an exoskeleton inspired by science fiction, three Johns Hopkins University undergraduates have designed and built a muscle-enhancement device specifically for a disabled person that will help him lift a cup, a book, and other household items. By uttering commands such as "open" and "raise," this user will receive mechan- ical help in moving his fingers and bending his elbow. The motorized plastic shell will fit over the right arm of the man, who has an extremely rare degen- erative muscle disorder called inclusion body myositis. This device, which could be adapted for other people with disabilities, was developed by students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering's Senior Design Project course. The project originated when the man with the muscle disease sought help from Volunteers for Medical Engineering, a nonprofit Baltimore group that uses technology to assist people with disabilities. The client explained that his nerves were intact, meaning that he could control the placement of his fingers around an object. But progressive muscle deteriora- tion left him unable to grasp and lift even small objects. To help him, the Volunteers for Medical Engineering sponsored a project in the Johns Hopkins course. The task of designing and building the device went to a team consisting of three senior students: Jonathan Hofeller, mechanical engineering student; Christina Peace, a biomedical engineering studen