Holy Braille: Scientists developing Kindle-style tablet for the blind

                  Artist's impression of a Braille tablet (Credit: Kelly O'Sullivan, Michigan Engineering)

Scientists at the University of Michigan are working on a revolutionary display technology that could one day feature in a Kindle-style Braille tablet for the visually impaired.

“Imagine having a Kindle that isn’t a visual Kindle but instead has a tactile surface that can be read by a person who is blind, using Braille,” explained Sile O'Modhrain, associate professor of music and associate professor of information at the University of Michigan, who herself is visually impaired.

It’s a fascinating proposition, and one O’Modhrain and researchers at the University of Michigan are working to solve. The professor explains that at the current time digital Braille devices with refreshable displays can only offer one line of information at a time, and are also prohibitively expensive with a single-line costing around $4,000.

“One of the advantages of our display is that it’s entirely pneumatic, so we can drive it with either air or fluid,” O’Modhrain says. “That means we can produce a display that’s a lot cheaper than existing displays that rely on electronics, so we never have to worry about wiring, or assembling individual mechanical objects.”

The technology could also open up a host of possibilities for visually impaired people.

The team is using manufacturing methods borrowed from the silicon industry, “where chips are laid down in layers instead of having many small parts to assemble,” according to a MIT report. This more cost-effective approach means the tablet could retail for under $1,000 when it’s finally completed.

O’Modhrain says a Braille device would offer the visually impaired much greater access to spatially displayed information, opening up subjects like science and math. She adds that users would also be able to interact with graphs and spreadsheets, making the tablet a whole lot more useful than a simple reading device.

At the moment, researchers can drive a series of connected dots to display a single Braille character and are working on scaling up the system to display characters and dots on a much larger array. 

“Once that is done, then we would need input from people who can help us develop techniques for manufacturing displays for a mass market,” added O'Modhrain. “And then, of course, the display needs to be integrated into a product, which again would depend on a third party developer deciding to use the device in their product. “  - James Rogers