Two students from MVJ College of Engineering have developed a device called ‘bBook’ that converts text into braille in real time. Once a person with a visual impairment places the device over the text, it uses the six pins on its surface to convert the text.
A small camera in the bBook is used to scan text, which is then processed and the data generated is used to drive a braille unit. This unit gives the input character equivalent to braille. “A person can also download the latest news articles. A specially designed audio interface will be available, which will enable the user to use voice-control,” said Rohit Natesh, a student at the college.
The device can also be connected to mobile phones in order to receive notifications from the bBook application. It works in three speeds, slow, medium and fast, that is 4 seconds, 2.5 seconds and 1.5 seconds. They have been working on the device for five months now. “It has been a pleasure to work with my students. We hope to receive more feedback from blind schools,” said Desikan Srinivasan, assistant professor at MVJ College of Engineering.
