[nfbcs] Touchscreen interface for tablets

[Mike Jolls]

Here's something I forgot to mention in my initial post that makes this
touch interface even more usable to the blind consumer.

Just as Apple has "Voice-Over" and the feature is turned on through a global
setting, the feature of a tactile interface could also be turned on through
a global setting.  Then it would be on for every application and the touch
interface would always be available.

Well let's hear your thoughts about how useful a technology such as this
would be.  It seems promising to me.

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of majolls at cox.net
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2012 4:27 PM
To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List'
Subject: [nfbcs] Touchscreen interface for tablets

Hi everyone ... here's a new thread ... see what you think.  It's about
having a Braille interface on a tablet.

I recently did a search on "Braille Touch Tablet" ... just to see if
anything popped up.  What I got back led me to a very interesting website.
The website is tactustechnology.com, and it contains brief information about
a company that is developing a tactile interface for tablets ... flat screen
devices such as iPhones, iPods, iPads, Galaxy tablet, etc... which presently
have no tactile touch interface.  You have to, at present, see the icons on
the interface, and use your sight to touch the icon to launch programs,
etc... The key to this is that you have to see things to touch them and
operate them.  And without such technology as Apple provides like VoiceOver,
you're pretty much screwed if you can't see it.

Tactus Technologies (tactustechnology.com) is trying to change that.  You
can go to their website and they have a video about what they're working on.
In a nutshell, they're working on developing an interface that will allow
"buttons" to "rise up" off of your flat tablet device ... thus providing a
tactile interface.  I believe I recall in the video that they said the
buttons can be as small or large as you want.  My guess is that when
incorporated into a tablet, a layer will be built into the screen that will
allow the surface to be "stimulated" and rise up in different shapes
providing a tactile "bump" on the screen.  I'm also guessing that there will
be software in the operating system of the Tablet that will provide an API
available to all applications that run on the tablet.  Any application can
do what it needs to do.  If it chooses to create buttons on the tablet, it
can call the API as part of its programming.  If it doesn't need buttons, it
doesn't have to use the features.

This technology as I see it will need to be incorporated into the
construction of tablets - made part of the screen technology that is used by
the tablet.  So probably current iPads or iPhones won't be able to use this.
I'm pretty sure they're going to have to come out with a physical sheet of
special material that will be incorporated into the "screen" of the device
which will respond to electrical (or some other) stimuli that will cause the
surface of the tablet to "morph" (as they say) and cause a button to pop up.

You can see the application for Braille immediately if they can start
incorporating this technology into the next generation of tablets ... so
this could be a couple of years away.  Imagine the technology is
incorporated into a tablet and you have a "Braille E-Reader" application.
The application has a book downloaded to it, opens the book, and determines
the text to be rendered on the tablet.  It then programatically calls an API
to render the data read into Braille on the tablet and that causes the dots
to form on the touch screen.  Volla!!  Instant braille.

The way Tactus talks on its video, it's going to be incorporating this into
a lot of tablet / smart phone / type devices.  If it can install the
technology over a huge audience, I would see R&D costs would be recouped
quickly and that would ... hopefully ... drive prices down.

And if they can do that, then it's just another application to write to make
a Braille display.  Perhaps a 40 character Braille display on the iPad.
Perhaps a multi-line 40 cell display.  And, they could even cause a 9 key
Perkins interface to appear at the bottom of the tablet display.  So maybe
you now have a 40 character Braille Display for what .... $1000?  Maybe
less?

I emailed Tactus and they inform them they have been in communication with
the NFB.  WOW!!!  Tactus also says we should be seeing some first entries
into the market by 2013.  They inform me that Braille is not something they
are ready to come to market with yet ... but I wanted to tell you all this
to let you know that perhaps a technology has come out that can replace the
existing Braille Display technology which is so costly .. causing Braille
Displays to be $2000-$7000.  If this technology can be made widely available
in a lot of applications .. and not just in disability related areas ... we
could really see the cost go down ... maybe causing the Braille Displays
drop in price when that happens.

Anyway, I got really excited about this when I saw the potential.  I realize
it's not available now, but with the development of this technology, an
e-Reader on a Tablet that yields a full .. or even partial ... page of
Braille with some navigation controls would make Braille available to the
masses in an electronic setting ... and hopefully at a significant drop in
price.

Imagine being able to take Braille with you on a Tablet ... and having the
dots pop up and you don't have to worry about getting external particles
into them and clogging up the device ... and having the Tablet at an
affordable price!!!

Only time will tell, but I'm excited.  Let me know what you think.

Mike Jolls



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