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Design Team Creates Braille E-Book

by Warren Riddle on April 21, 2009 at 10:08 AM

2009 marks the 200th birthday of Louis Braille, the ingenious inventor of the eponymously named letter code that enables the blind to read by touch. Aside from Samsung's award-winning Touch Messenger (which featured Braille touch pads for text-messaging), the system has remained largely ignored by evolving technology -- until now. Just in time for the bicentennial birthday celebration, a team of designers has created an "e-reader" model that would give visually impaired gadget fans the ability to read via the touch screens on their mobile devices.

Earlier this month, we reported on a team of Finnish researchers attempting to do the same thing using pulses of intense vibration. Instead, this new team of engineers (including Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, Sun-Hye Woo and Jin-Sun Park) plans to utilize electroactive polymers to actually change the surface of a gadget's screen. The shape of these unique materials can be modified through the application of electric voltage, exactly like Batman's cape from the movie 'Batman Begins.'

Both concepts are feasible using present-day technology, but lack the investment capital to become reality. Maybe some of that government bailout money would be better served going to pursuits like this, instead of funding AIG executive retreats. Hey, we geeks can dream... plus, we can't think of a better way to honor Louis Braille's birthday than by bringing his creation to today's modern devices. [From: Engadget]


Tags: braille, e-book, e-readers, electroactive polymers, ElectroactivePolymers, prototypes, samsung touch messenger, SamsungTouchMessenger, top

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