Tag Archives: braille

Tactile Smartphone

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Sumit Dagar, an Indian designer, is developing a tactile smartphone for people who are blind. The screen of the smartphone will be covered in pins that can be raised to create braille, tactile text, tactile maps and tactile images. Dagar is currently working on a prototype and the first model could be really for sale within a year. The project is being funded by a US$50,000 2012 Rolex Award for Enterprise. The design clearly has value for people who are deaf-blind, and the possibility of tactile maps and images seems promising. Watch a video describing the project after the jump.

UpSense Brings Braille-Like Typing to Touchscreens

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Developed by Israeli Company Inpris, UpSense is mobile app that provides a gesture based keyboard that works similarly to Braille typing. Each character has its own gesture, which adjusts to the user’s hands and can even be customizable. It is very similar to another app designed by researchers at Georgia Tech. Both apps would be useful for users who already know how to type in Braille, however, could it become a more widespread technology? With more Universally Designed options on the market, like voice control and advanced predictive typing apps, is there still a need for something like UpSense? Most likely, the answer is yes, but as information technology becomes more prevalent in everyday life the categories of assistive technology and mainstream technology are over lapping more and more.

Learn more about UpSense on YouTube