Smartwatch outputs text in braille

11th August 2015

Jordan Mulcare

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Eric, the CEO of dot Incorporation had a blind classmate in University. While most of his classmates used an iPad, the blind classmate carried around large, bulky textbooks which took longer to process than an iPad. Although there were features in which blind people may use on the iPad, accessibility was limited.

Other adaptive technology devices were often overly expensive and there had been no major innovation in the technology, especially for braille. That is how the CEO, was inspired to create and develop dot.

The smart braille watch, DOT is a wearable device that outputs text in braille. One prominent difference between a regular smart watch and DOT is inserting and checking information in braille rather than text or graphics; a small, refreshable braille display is used.

A text data on a user’s mobile device will be translated in braille through the Braille Translation app. The translation will then be sent to the smartwatch which forms a pattern based on the received data. The actuator on the watch will trigger braille pins on the module to protrude according to the pattern, and the user will put their fingertips on the pins to read the output in braille.

A DOT application will enable information on a smartphone to be transmitted to the smart watch by Bluetooth, outputting the information in braille. Unlike modern refreshable braille displays, which read one line at a time, ‘active braille display’ is utilised to make braille automatically pass by in the user’s hand as if it were an escalator.

As well as all the functions of a regular watch, the smart watch outputs every notification (alarm, text message, etc.) received on a smartphone. The watch even has a simple voice recording feature that can run without being connected to a mobile device.

By December, the company are planning on manufacturing 10,000 dots. The price of the product is targeted below $300. They will first be available in stores in the United States. However, it has contacted various distributors throughout the world and working hard to have it available in the global market as soon as possible.

In addition to the smart watch, dot Incorporation is looking forward to the prospect of creating a public braille module in bank ATMs that will increase financial information accessibility among the visually impaired. Upon completion, the braille module will be modified to appear in public places, transportation and home appliances such as a furnace, microwave and rice cooker. The research is also set towards manufacturing an affordable iPad-like device that renders various shapes and mathematical equations, as well as text, using multiple braille cell arrays.