[Ohio-talk] braille printer

Thu Mar 19 21:41:16 UTC 2015

Hello all, sometime ago, someone posted the link to this article about the braille printer. I thought it was fascinating and saved it, pasted it below. Blessings, Cheryl Fields 

Subject: Article from Cincinnati Enquirer Tech Section 2015 01 20

13-year-old invents Lego Braille printer The next invention backed by a tech
giant may be found at your local school science fair. Shubham Banerjee, 13,
created a Braille printer out of Lego pieces for a school science project
and, with the help of his family, turned his concept into a start-up company
that gained financial backing from the tech company Intel Corp. Shubham came
up with the idea after researching Braille online and realizing that
printers for the blind cost $2,000 or more. Concerned it was too expensive
for most people to afford, Shubham wanted to make an inexpensive version. He
asked his dad for a Lego robotics kit that cost about $350 and built a model
in about a month for a science fair in early 2014, Neil Banerjee, Shubham's
father, told USA TODAY Network. He shared the plan online in an "open
source" format so that anyone could build it. "He wanted to make it very
cheap and DIY, do-it-yourself," Banerjee said. From there, newspapers picked
up on the project and he went on to win at the county fair level. Children
who were blind and their parents started contacting Shubham soon after,
asking if he could make a printer they could buy off the shelves. Shubham
made a prototype using parts from a desktop printer and an Intel chip with
wifi and bluetooth. He showed what he created to Intel. "They were really
impressed," Banerjee said. Banerjee helped his son set up a company with
Shubham as the founder. Malini Banerjee, Shubham's mother, assumed the role
of CEO, and Neil became a member of the board. They called it Braigo Labs, a
combination of Braille and Lego. A few months later, Intel announced they
would back Shubham's company with an undisclosed amount of money. All eyes
on @braigolabs portfolio demo showcase at #icapsummit
pic.twitter.com/GD2vQawBZu So inspiring. @intelcapital announcing investment
in @braigolabs #Maker #makermovement #icapsummit pic.twitter.com/18kapOaKGq
"He's solving a real problem, and he wants to go off and disrupt an existing
industry. And that's really what it's all about," Edward Ross, director of
Inventor Platforms at Intel, told the Associated Press. Today, Braigo Labs
has hired several professionals to work on the project and has enlisted an
industrial design firm to help develop a product that can manufactured,
according to Banerjee. Banerjee said his son wasn't willing to give up on
his project after the science fair. "He really wanted to take this product
to the real people so they could benefit from it," Banerjee said. "It's a
good story that did not stop at a prototype. Contributing: The Associated
Press Follow @lagrisham on Twitter

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Deborah Kendrick via Ohio-talk
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 12:51 PM
To: barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com; 'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] braille printer

The actual school project made national news about a year and a half ago.  
Ssince then, they've formed a company -- with his dad as CEO -- and I think gotten some funding from Intel.  
The idea of a braille printer for only a few hundred dollars is great and the news of a 13-year-old (he was actually 12 when he did the project0 making such a thing from Legos is remarkable for sure, but I'm not so sure the product will be all that practical.  
Initially, anyway, it embossed one letter at a time, letters only, and something like a letter every 10 or 15 seconds.  
That was well over a year ago, so maybe since then it has become more sophistocated.  
Maybe 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of barbara.pierce9366--- via Ohio-talk
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 9:17 AM
To: Jerry Purcell; NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] braille printer

I heard about this earlier. I tried to get Gary o cover it for the Monitor. I don’t think he followed through on it. He sounds like a cool kid.
Barbara
Barbara Pierce
President Emerita
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com
440-774-8077
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you zwant; blindness is not what holds you back.

> On Mar 19, 2015, at 8:33 AM, Jerry Purcell via Ohio-talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Good morning,
> 
>    I'm wondering if anyone saw the report on last night's nbc evening news.
> They had a story about a 13 year old boy who is making a Braille 
> printer out of legos.  It was a legit story.  He is looking for 
> backing from some high tech companies.  He hopes to have it out on the 
> market at the end of the year.  You can check out the story at:
> 
> http://nbcnightlynews.com <http://nbcnightlynews.com/>
> 
> Just search for "Braille printer".
> 
> 
> 
>         Thanks Jerry Purcell
> 
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