[nfbcs] Information about the Optacon

[Rachel]

I'm forwarding from the Optacon list.


OPTACON USERS UNITE TO PRESERVE VALUABLE READING DEVICE
       The Optacon user list would like to share the following
information with all current and former Optacon users.
       1. The Optacons can still be repaired. There are repairers
located in the U.S., Canada, England and Australia.
       2. We are seeking all non-working or unused Optacons. These
will be repaired and put back into circulation.
       3. We invite all current Optacon users to fill out a brief
survey describing their experiences both negative and positive.
       4. If we can collect enough survey data, there is a possibility of
re-developing the Optacon with modern circuitry to read some of
the types of modern displays which other devices cannot read at this
time.
       5. There is a very active Optacon e-list where users share
experiences and make plans for the future of the Optacon.
       IF YOU WOULD LIKE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE ABOVE OR HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL
	braille at panix.com
. Thank you.
WHAT IS AN OPTACON?
       Invented in the early 1970's, the Optacon uses a hand-held camera
to explore a print document and convert the picture of what it
finds onto a small tactile array composed of vibrating pins. The
tactile picture is very tiny--about the size of a standard print letter
or number. With practice, the user can move the camera over the printed
material and read the images on the tactile array. The Optacon was
manufactured until the early 1990's.
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-Catherine Thomas
braille at panix.com
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