Fingertips are one of the areas of our body with the highest number of nerve endings. With that sensibility, let alone the alphabet created by Louis Braille in the 19th century,th The century made the text accessible to the blind in writing. The main problem with these works, printed in classical Braille relief, is that they are not pocket-sized. For example, even a short story like The Little Prince requires about 500 meters of paper. British company Bristol Braille Technology is continuing the e-reader revolution in Braille with an electronic device that can store thousands of books.
Codenamed Canute 360, this innovative technology It is the result of six years of hard work. There were already other approaches for this type of technology, but they were either too expensive or lacked basic functionality.the challenge of this technology project The goal was to create a versatile, low-cost, and powerful device designed for the educational environment. The machine they developed displays nine lines of his text, 40 characters each, at a time. Rows are updated one at a time, so when the user reaches the bottom, the new row is already visible.
Another advantage of Braille e-readers is their ability to display musical and mathematical symbols, foreign languages, and tactile graphics. All this in a 36.5 X 18.5 X 8 cm portable case.
The manufacturer has yet to announce the exact cost of the Canute 360, but we expect it to be on par with high-end laptops. The device is expected to go on sale at some point this year.
Advances in text-to-speech technology have reduced the need for Braille codes, but this developer braille e-reader Emphasize the importance of using it to increase literacy and numeracy and improve cognitive skills.
BraiBook, read braille without lifting a finger
In late 2018, an Argentinian company unveiled its own Braille e-reader. Marketed as the BraiBook, their device resembles a computer mouse. In this case, they focused on a highly portable design, translating text into Braille on a device weighing just 50 grams. This reader allows the user to translate one word at a time without having to move his finger over the letters. Storage memory can store up to 8,000 documents and can be loaded via Bluetooth or using a memory card. The user can also control the pace at which the code is displayed. Additionally, you can skip words, lines, or pages. Finally, a text-to-speech mode is also included. In fact, both Canute 360 and BraiBook are new ways to overcome sensory impairment.
sauce: Reuters, Braebook
