[nabs-l] Fw: Touchscreen Braille Writer

Sun Jan 6 17:13:11 UTC 2013

In googling for the name of the beta app, I've found this other app.
I think this one might be more up my personal ally, since I primarily
use my phone keyboard for texts and emails, but check it out:

http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/20/can-braille-be-faster-than-qwerty-app-developer-thinks-so/

On 1/6/13, Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Gotcha,
>
> Yes, a link would be great.  Or even the name of the App should suffice.
>
> On 1/6/13, Josh Gregory <joshkart12 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Would you mind sending the link? That way others, including myself can get
>> a
>> feel for what it is like
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jan 6, 2013, at 11:48 AM, christopher nusbaum
>> <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> The beta version is on the app store now, but it is only a trial
>>> version. They haven't come out with the full release yet, as they are
>>> still Fixing bugs before they release the full version to the public.
>>>
>>> Chris Nusbaum
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Jan 6, 2013, at 11:38 AM, Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's on the App Store
>>>> market yet.  If it is though I'd love to test it out.
>>>>
>>>> I do agree with some things that were said, that the Braille OCR
>>>> project should be picked back up and that the reasons for stopping it
>>>> were bogus, but I'm excited to see what this App is.  I love how small
>>>> my BrailleSense On-Hand is, but if I, or any college student for that
>>>> matter, could just pack an IPad along with a braille display and have
>>>> the capability to go back and forth between writing in print and
>>>> braille that would be amazing.  Although it wouldn't fully eliminate
>>>> notetakers and laptops from the equasion, it would certainly make bags
>>>> a little lighter and have sort of a 2-in-1 feel.
>>>>
>>>> On 1/5/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> What really would be useful is if I could type contracted Braille on
>>>>> my
>>>>> texts and have it come out in English.
>>>>> t way I wd n h (lowF)type (ou) e (th)(ing)
>>>>> ;d
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>
>>>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Chris Nusbaum
>>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 7:57 PM
>>>>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Fw: Touchscreen Braille Writer
>>>>>
>>>>> Dave,
>>>>>
>>>>> My question is how more than one dot, such as dots 1-4 for a c,
>>>>> would be typed using this app on a touch screen. It is an interesting
>>>>> idea
>>>>> indeed, and I am interested in playing with it on my iPhone. I wonder
>>>>> whether typing in Braille on a touch screen will increase my typing
>>>>> speed
>>>>> once I get used to doing it? Very interesting! By the way, have any of
>>>>> you
>>>>> actually played with this app? If so, what are your thoughts after
>>>>> using
>>>>> it?
>>>>>
>>>>> Chris
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David
>>>>> Andrews
>>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 10:41 PM
>>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Fw: Touchscreen Braille Writer
>>>>>
>>>>> It seems to me that you folks are getting all worked up over nothing.
>>>>> As I
>>>>> understand it, the software is for input only, and would run on a
>>>>> tablet
>>>>> like the iPad with access through voiceover.  Some people prefer
>>>>> Braille
>>>>> input, some qwerty, some fleksy or another system.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dave
>>>>>
>>>>> At 10:29 PM 1/3/2013, you wrote:
>>>>>> Maybe, I just want to know whether the software they created would
>>>>>> run
>>>>>> on a device that has accessible output of some sort, like VoiceOver.
>>>>>> If not, then the Braille touchscreen is pretty much useless.
>>>>>> Personally, as a Braille reader and longtime Braille Note and Braille
>>>>>> Lite user, I feel like typing in Braille without the Braille output
>>>>>> would be awkward and not very helpful. But maybe others disagree with
>>>>>> me?
>>>>>> In any case I think their first idea of the Braille character
>>>>>> recognizer has much greater utility, and their reasons for abandoning
>>>>>> it are without much basis.
>>>>>> Arielle
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 1/3/13, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>>>> I'm sorry for the double post. But I feel like I need to clarify.
>>>>> Already,
>>>>>>> this idea is being modified in apps where we can use of virtual
>>>>>>> braille
>>>>>>> writer on the touch screen of an iPhone or an
>>>>>> iPad. I see a decent amount of
>>>>>>> value and that, I think.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Jan 3, 2013, at 9:06 PM, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Oh how I wish these smart, creative guys had talked with blind
>>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>>> before inventing this thing! Unless I missed something, does this
>>>>>>>> tablet have speech or Braille output? How is the blind user
>>>>>>>> supposed
>>>>>>>> to be able to read his/her notes? I'm not sure if any current
>>>>>>>> tablets
>>>>>>>> are accessible. Even if one is, I don't think the ability to write
>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>> Braille rather than in QWERTY matters that much. The appeal of the
>>>>>>>> overpriced Braille notetaker is the Braille output, not the Braille
>>>>>>>> keyboard! Oh....Wow! That's all I can say.
>>>>>>>> If I were these guys I would go ahead with the Braille character
>>>>>>>> recognizer. That actually has some utility. It would allow a blind
>>>>>>>> schoolchild to convert his Brailled homework to print that his
>>>>>>>> teacher
>>>>>>>> could read, or a blind college student to Braille math equations,
>>>>>>>> scan
>>>>>>>> them and send them to her professor. If these Stanford students had
>>>>>>>> actually talked with blind people, they would have learned that
>>>>>>>> blind
>>>>>>>> people successfully use apps that involve taking pictures of print.
>>>>>>>> Taking pictures of Braille would be easier, not harder, than what
>>>>>>>> already exists.
>>>>>>>> It continually blows my mind how many people make it a personal
>>>>>>>> passion to work on improving the lives of blind people in one way
>>>>>>>> or
>>>>>>>> another, without really educating themselves on what is already out
>>>>>>>> there or what real live blind folks actually need.
>>>>>>>> Arielle
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 1/3/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>>>>> Below is an article I was sent about a new app. I am not a fan of
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>> way
>>>>>>>>> the creator views blind people, but I do think having a Braille
>>>>>>>>> Writer
>>>>> on
>>>>>>>>> the tablet would be very nice. It is so much faster to type texts
>>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>>> Braille
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> than in print LOL...
>>>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> STANFORD SUMMER COURSE YIELDS TOUCHSCREEN BRAILLE WRITER
>>>>>>>>> Home<http://engineering.stanford.edu/> >
>>>>>>>>> About<http://engineering.stanford.edu/about> > News &
>>>>>>>>> Updates<http://engineering.stanford.edu/about/news> > Stanford
>>>>>>>>> summer
>>>>>>>>> course
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> yields touchscreen Braille writer
>>>>>>>>> <http://engineering.stanford.edu/print/node/148>
>>>>>>>>> In a two-month summer course on high-performance computing,
>>>>>>>>> promising
>>>>>>>>> undergrads compete to create innovative applications. This
>>>>>>>>> summer's
>>>>>>>>> winner
>>>>>>>>> developed a touchscreen Braille writer that stands to
>>>>>>>>> revolutionize
>>>>> how
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> blind negotiate an unseen world by replacing devices costing up to
>>>>>>>>> 10
>>>>>>>>> times
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> more.
>>>>>>>>> Andrew Myers
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Each summer, under the red-tiled roofs and sandstone of Stanford,
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> Army
>>>>>>>>> High-Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) invites a
>>>>>>>>> select
>>>>>>>>> group
>>>>>>>>> of undergraduates from across the country gather for a two-month
>>>>>>>>> immersion
>>>>>>>>> into the wonders of advanced computing.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Some of the undergraduates are gathered into teams. Some work
>>>>>>>>> alone.
>>>>> All
>>>>>>>>> are
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> assigned mentors and tasked with a challenge. They compete,
>>>>>>>>> American
>>>>>>>>> Idol-style, for top honors at the end of the summer.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The competition is made possible in part by a collaboration
>>>>>>>>> between
>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> U.S.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Army and several university and industry partners that makes up
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> AHPCRC.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Adam Duran is one such undergraduate, a student both lucky and
>>>>>>>>> good.
>>>>> He
>>>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>>>> now in his senior year at New Mexico State University. Last June,
>>>>>>>>> he
>>>>> came
>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Stanford at the suggestion of one of his professors. His mentors
>>>>>>>>> were
>>>>>>>>> Adrian
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Lew, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Sohan
>>>>>>>>> Dharmaraja,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> a doctoral candidate at Stanford studying computational
>>>>>>>>> mathematics.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "Originally, our assignment was to create a character-recognition
>>>>>>>>> application that would use the camera on a mobile device - a phone
>>>>>>>>> or
>>>>>>>>> tablet - to transform pages of Braille into readable text," said
>>>>> Duran.
>>>>>>>>> "It
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> was a cool challenge, but not exactly where we ended up."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> BIGGER FISH
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Even before Duran arrived for the summer, Lew and Dharmaraja began
>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>> talk
>>>>>>>>> to the Stanford Office of Accessible
>>>>>>>>> Education<http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae>, people whose
>>>>>>>>> profession
>>>>>>>>> is helping blind and visually impaired students negotiate the
>>>>>>>>> world
>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> higher learning. It became clear that there were bigger fish to
>>>>>>>>> fry.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> While a Braille character reader would be helpful to the blind,
>>>>>>>>> Lew
>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> Dharmaraja learned, there were logistics that were hard to get
>>>>>>>>> around.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "How does a blind person orient a printed page so that the
>>>>>>>>> computer
>>>>> knows
>>>>>>>>> which side is up? How does a blind person ensure proper lighting
>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> paper?" said Duran. "Plus, the technology, while definitely
>>>>>>>>> helpful,
>>>>>>>>> would
>>>>>>>>> be limited in day-to-day application."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "It was a nice-to-have, not a must-have," said Dharmaraja.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> So, the three began to ask questions. That is when they stumbled
>>>>>>>>> upon
>>>>> a
>>>>>>>>> sweet spot.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "The killer app was not a reader, but a writer," said Dharmaraja.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "Imagine being blind in a classroom, how would you take notes?"
>>>>>>>>> said
>>>>> Lew.
>>>>>>>>> "What if you were on the street and needed to copy down a phone
>>>>> number?
>>>>>>>>> These are real challenges the blind grapple with every day."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> There are devices that help the blind write Braille, to send email
>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>> so
>>>>>>>>> forth, but they are essentially specialized laptops that cost, in
>>>>>>>>> some
>>>>>>>>> cases, $6,000 or more. All for a device of limited functionality,
>>>>> beyond
>>>>>>>>> typing Braille, of course.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "Your standard tablet has more capability at a tenth the price,"
>>>>>>>>> said
>>>>>>>>> Duran.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "So, we put two and two together. We developed a tablet Braille
>>>>> writer,"
>>>>>>>>> said Dharmaraja, "A touchscreen for people who can't see."
>>>>> [http://engineering.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/700wide/news
>>>>> %20-%202012%200505%20-%20touchscreen%20braile%20writer.jpeg]Sohan
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Dharmaraja, a doctoral candidate at Stanford, demonstrates how the
>>>>>>>>> software
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> works.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> First, however, the student-mentor team had to learn Braille.
>>>>> Originally
>>>>>>>>> developed for the French military, Braille is a relatively simple
>>>>>>>>> code
>>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> each character made up of variations of six dots - or bumps,
>>>>>>>>> really
>>>>>>>>> -
>>>>>>>>> arranged in a 2-by-3 matrix. The blind read by feeling the bumps
>>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>>> their
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> fingertips.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> As any computational mathematician will tell you, such a matrix
>>>>>>>>> yields
>>>>>>>>> two-to-the-sixth minus one variations, or 63 possible characters.
>>>>> These
>>>>>>>>> 63
>>>>>>>>> characters are enough for a Western alphabet plus 10 numerical
>>>>>>>>> digits,
>>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> several left over for punctuation and some special characters.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Over the years, however, those 63 characters got quickly gobbled
>>>>>>>>> up
>>>>>>>>> -
>>>>>>>>> through the addition of character-modification keystrokes, the
>>>>>>>>> total
>>>>> grew
>>>>>>>>> and now includes chemical, mathematical and other symbols.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> CHALLENGE
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> A modern Braille writer looks like a laptop with no monitor and an
>>>>>>>>> eight-key
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> keyboard - six to create the character, plus a carriage return and
>>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>>> delete
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> key.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Duplicating the Braille keypad on a touch-based tablet seemed
>>>>>>>>> simple
>>>>>>>>> enough,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> but there was at least one significant challenge: How does a blind
>>>>> person
>>>>>>>>> find the keys on a flat, uniformly smooth glass panel?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Dharmaraja and Duran mulled their options before arriving at a
>>>>>>>>> clever
>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> simple solution. They did not create virtual keys that the
>>>>>>>>> fingertips
>>>>>>>>> must
>>>>>>>>> find; they made keys that find the fingertips. The user simply
>>>>>>>>> touches
>>>>>>>>> eight
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> fingertips to the glass, and the keys orient themselves to the
>>>>> fingers.
>>>>>>>>> If
>>>>>>>>> the user becomes disoriented, a reset is as easy as lifting all
>>>>>>>>> eight
>>>>>>>>> fingers off the glass and putting them down again.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "Elegant, no?" said Lew. "The solution is so simple, so beautiful.
>>>>>>>>> It
>>>>> was
>>>>>>>>> fun to see."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Beyond the price difference, touchscreens offer at least one other
>>>>>>>>> significant advantage over standard Braille writers: "They're
>>>>>>>>> customizable,"
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Dharmaraja noted. "They can accommodate users whose fingers are
>>>>>>>>> small
>>>>> or
>>>>>>>>> large, those who type with fingers close together or far apart,
>>>>>>>>> even
>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>> allow a user to type on a tablet hanging around the neck with
>>>>>>>>> hands
>>>>>>>>> opposed
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> as if playing a clarinet."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "No standard Braille writer can do this," said Professor Charbel
>>>>> Farhat,
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> chair of the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and executive
>>>>>>>>> director
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> of the summer program. "This is a real step forward for the
>>>>>>>>> blind."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> SHOWING OFF
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> In a demo, Duran donned a blindfold and readied himself before the
>>>>>>>>> touchscreen. He typed out an email address and a simple subject
>>>>>>>>> line.
>>>>>>>>> Then
>>>>>>>>> he typed one of the best-known mathematical formulas in the world,
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> Burgers
>>>>>>>>> Equation<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgers%27_equation>,
>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> followed with the chemical equation for
>>>>>>>>> photosynthesis<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis> -
>>>>>>>>> complex
>>>>>>>>> stuff - all as if writing a note to his mother.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> For Duran, who has an uncle who is blind, the greatest joy was in
>>>>> seeing
>>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>>> blind person using his creation for the first time. "That was so
>>>>>>>>> awesome,"
>>>>>>>>> he said. "I can't describe the feeling. It was the best."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> In the immediate future, there are technical and legal hurdles to
>>>>>>>>> address,
>>>>>>>>> but someday, perhaps soon, the blind and visually impaired may
>>>>>>>>> find
>>>>>>>>> themselves with a more cost-effective Braille writer that is both
>>>>>>>>> portable
>>>>>>>>> and blessed with greater functionality than any device that went
>>>>> before.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "AHPCRC is an excellent model for outreach, which not only trains
>>>>>>>>> undergraduate students in computational sciences but also exposes
>>>>>>>>> students
>>>>>>>>> to real-world research applications," said Raju Namburu, the
>>>>> cooperative
>>>>>>>>> agreement manager for AHPCRC.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The center addresses the Army's most difficult scientific and
>>>>> engineering
>>>>>>>>> challenges using high-performance computing. Stanford University
>>>>>>>>> is
>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> AHPCRC lead organization with oversight from the Army Research
>>>>>>>>> Laboratory.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> As for his summer courses, Farhat is optimistic. "Let's remember,"
>>>>>>>>> he
>>>>>>>>> points
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> out, "This was a two-month summer project that evolved because a
>>>>>>>>> few
>>>>>>>>> smart
>>>>>>>>> people asked some good questions. I'm always amazed by what the
>>>>> students
>>>>>>>>> accomplish in these courses, but this was something special. Each
>>>>>>>>> year
>>>>> it
>>>>>>>>> seems to get better and more impressive."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Andrew Myers is associate director of communications for the
>>>>>>>>> Stanford
>>>>>>>>> School
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> of Engineering.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Video
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Watch: Stanford Course Yields Touchscreen Braille
>>>>>>>>> Writer<https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100361023253469>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Thursday, October 6, 2011
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Kaiti
>>>>
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>
> --
> Kaiti
>

-- 
Kaiti