13. Tactile

Tactile is text-to-braille device currently undergoing development at MIT.

Tactile is a portable real time text-to-braille converter and it is aimed at helping visually impaired or blind people. It is not computer specific and it can be used with computers as well as with reading any other text.

Current braille translators:
Current solutions can only work with electronic text, however they are not adapted for reading and translating text in electronic images, as well as text on any physical media for example papers.
Additionally these devices cost up to 3000 us dollars and is not accessible for everyone in need.

Tactile solution:
Tactile technology will enable reading the text from electronic as well as from any other media.
Tactile device has integrated camera that can capture any text. After capturing text is translated and displayed on the refreshable display as a braille. Final version of device will be able to display 36 characters at a time and will be a size of a chocolate bar.
Unlike other braille translators Tactile is aiming at providing a low priced device at around 100 us dollars. This will enable to improve lives of more visually impaired or blind people.

Currently Tactile is undergoing further development and improvements as well as pending patent registration. Whenever it reaches the market, it will be a great step forward for the blind community.

References:
http://www.teamtactile.com/
https://news.microsoft.com/stories/people/team-tactile.html

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