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By Andy Mole
#75
An electronic device that allows books from the internet to be downloaded onto a portable electronic Braille book. This device could be hand held and consist of a series of small pins that go up and down to form all the letters of the Braille alphabet. Thus blind people could also read whilst they're sitting on the train.

Reward: Teach me how to read braille!!!
By helen
#306
Dear Andy,
While this does not exist are you aware that ebooks can be made where the text is read for you? I made a childrens ebook where the child could hear the words as he/she viewed them. Designed to teach new words. This can be read with Adobe's Acrobat Reader. I hadn't thought about it for the blind but if they are of hearing, it would work for that purpose too. Like a book on tape combined with an ebook. The author would have to be willing for it to be made both ways. This is an excellent idea.
By will
#307
great idea. just like a dot matrix printer, raises the pins. problem is what material would you use for the dots, you need one that is smooth for fingers, yet will collapse back in place when depressed. some sort of plastic/rubber petrol product perhaps?
User avatar
By TJ
#744
I think this is a great idea as well. ;-D As for Will's question I don't see why metal can't be used. It is long lasting & just like any other braille sign it can be rounded off. ;-)
By AaronAgassi
#840
Anonymous wrote:great idea. just like a dot matrix printer, raises the pins. problem is what material would you use for the dots, you need one that is smooth for fingers, yet will collapse back in place when depressed. some sort of plastic/rubber petrol product perhaps?
No, the softening springiness would come from underneath the rigid pins. Other wise, they'd also flex side to side and break.

Come to think of it, while the closest thing I've ever seen is Lynxo's Brail Board on 'Thunder Cats', I had assumed the real thing exists by now!
User avatar
By cynet
#3671
Develop a new printer that cuts minute holes in paper.
Instead of feeling raised bumps, you feel the lack of paper.
May take some getting used to.

Or if you wanted a sophicated style.
Develop two thin sheets of metal, with thousands of holes cut out on the front side. In between the plates are thousands of pins that raise to read. A bunch of small magnets hold the pins down, a spring pops them up.
Make this into a regular size table so fliping pages wont be a problem.
By AaronAgassi
#3675
I'm not clear that punching holes is easier than raising bumps. And the pins and holes are the same as what we have been discussing all along.
User avatar
By Michael D. Grissom
#3776
I did a quick http://www.google.com search with your title "electronic braille book" as the keywords and the #1 hit was http://www.braille.org/braille_books/

From the home page:

Portability

For the first time Blind people can now have Braille-on-the-go. E-Braille texts on disk are a convenient way to keep your favorite books with you at all times without having to hire a truck to transport them. If you travel a lot, or are simply cramped for space where you live or work, you will enjoy having hours of reading with you wherever you go.
Attachments
This is the prototype from another site.
This is the prototype from another site.
SEPT-25-00_braillereadergra.jpg (19.48 KiB) Viewed 6048 times
By AaronAgassi
#3785
Proper brainstorming begins with the definition of a problem or the identification of a "gap" or need to be "fit". And following the link above, two question come to mind:

What about brail interactive interface, beyond just reading print or display?

The answer is that, well, obviously, that is achieved with a brail keyboard in conjunction with the brail display, much as in conventional computing.

But my second question would be, cannot conventional text be displayed in brail? Indeed, why special brail files?
User avatar
By Michael D. Grissom
#3787
The blind are already using voice recognition instead of keyboards and character-to-braille software has been around for a long time.

This product is already on the market.
By AaronAgassi
#3788
So, why special brail files at all?
User avatar
By Michael D. Grissom
#3792
I'm not sure. Why do some people prefer to read books rather than see and feel the movie?
By AaronAgassi
#3794
Anther question:
Are brail displays interactive like touch screens? Can and, indeed, has the brail keyboard already been dispensed with entirely?

Again, if conventional text files can be read in brail without distinction, why the special brail files? And do the support brail interactivity?
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