Touchscreens and digital graphics are everywhere, but for people who are visually impaired, they can be a major hurdle to using modern technology. But this is set to change, thanks to tactile technology that automatically converts complex digital graphics into braille and stick-on smartphone buttons that make apps navigable by touch.
Braille
NASA’s InSight Arrives on Mars with Braille ‘Easter Egg
The robotic lander, which touched down on the Red Planet on Monday (Nov. 26), is equipped with a seismometer and self-hammering “mole” to probe into the deep interior of Mars. The data returned from the U.S.-led international mission will help inform scientists on how worlds such as our own were formed.
New Program is Making it Easier for Blind People to Read Books
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and The Free Library of Philadelphia are now offering the “BARD” program, which stands for “Braille and audio reading download.”
Herbal Essences Introduces Tactile Bottle for Visually Impaired Consumers
Hair care brand Herbal Essences has introduced a new bottle design to help visually impaired consumers. Designed by Sumaira Latif, P&G’s Special Consultant for Inclusive Design, the bottles will feature tactile indentations to differentiate shampoos and conditioners.
Visualization Specialist Makes Tactile Map for Blind and Visually Impaired
Thanks to a visualization specialist at the University of South Florida in Tampa and his 3-D plastic-printing machine, a unique tactile map may soon be as available as any paper map or smartphone app is for the sighted. The three-dimensional map will allow users to trace the raised features with their fingertips and “see” every doorway and hallway.
See3D Project Develops Affordable 3D Printed Models for the Blind
In a recent TEDx talk, high school graduate Caroline Karbowski explained how her organization is developing tactile “visuals” that are complicated enough to be useful while inexpensive enough to be practical for the blind and visually impaired with 3D printing.
Canute 360 Braille E-Book Reader Awarded NESTA Inventors Prize
Canute 360 from Bristol Braille Technology, an electronic Braille e-book reader that has been compared to a Kindle for blind people, has been awarded a £5K runners up grant in the 2018 NESTA inventors prize, awarded in conjunction with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy, for the best new product which uses technology to tackle a social issue.
Samsung Files Patent for New Braille Input on Smartwatches
Samsung files hundreds of patent applications every year across the world. While most of them are very technical whose use cases may not be immediately apparent, some are relatively simple with a fairly obvious use case. Samsung’s ‘Electronic apparatus for inputting braille and operating method thereof’ patent filed in South Korea in March last year is of the latter kind with a revealing title.
Looks Like Blitab is Back
When she was a graduate student in her native Bulgaria about five years ago, Kristina Tsvetanova was once asked to help a blind friend sign up online for a class. Understanding why he could not do so opened her eyes to the lag in technological innovation to benefit blind and visually impaired people.
Netherlands Begins Fleet Accessibility Upgrades, for Passengers with Reduced Mobility and Visual Impairments
The Netherlands national rail operator, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), is planning to upgrade 131 of its Sprint Light Trains to make them more accessible for passengers with reduced mobility and visual impairments.
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