Communications of the ACM
Device Aims to Brings Text and Graphics to Visually Impaired
Anagraphs, a portable Braille device with tactile display, will enable visually impaired users to access digital words and graphics.
Credit: theengineer.co.uk
European researchers are developing Anagraphs (anaglyptic refreshable photo-haptic screen), a portable and affordable Braille device with a tactile display that enables visually impaired users to access digital words and graphics.
The researchers say Anagraphs is the first Braille device to offer users text and graphics. The device consists of 6,000 Braille dots that are activated through a resistive-heating array, which uses thermo-hydraulic micro-actuation technology and specialized software. The dots are raised as the resistive heat expands the paraffin waxes in the screen from liquid to solid. The researchers say the wax actuation technique will help drive down the overall cost of the technology.
"One of the innovations of the project was to develop a pad, so a matrix of dots that could be read by the [visually] impaired which would include both text and graphics," says Anagraphs project manager Peter Fowell.
The Anagraphs project is currently in the final stages of development. "It's now a case of taking it to the next step for Horizon 2020 because that is the latest funding vehicle that we're now looking into now that FP7's finished," Fowell says.
From The Engineer (United Kingdom)
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