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<p>From my reading of the article, the call was not for a specific
technology, but rather an expression of hope that some other type
of display technology would enable prices to decrease. As much as
I would like this to happen, I do not think it is likely at the
moment. Existing systems that provide tactile output without
moving parts have a problem with resolution, especially as fine
finger position detection becomes a requirement rather than a
convenience. While you could theorize a grid of very small
electromagnetic haptic generators serving as pixels, I'm not sure
they would be very good at conveying the same information as pins
do, and trying to build that would likely prove quite expensive
too. I do not have much hope for building a Braille display
without moving parts.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I also don't have much hope for a miraculous
cheaper cell technology to come along quickly. We have seen
several new implementations which show a lot of promise, and I am
confident there will be more, but these took many years of
painstaking research and development. The good news is that, with
increased production, these will probably become cheaper. The bad
news is that that's probably not going to happen quickly.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>The relevant paragraph reads:</p>
<p>"Braille had a strong presence at CSUN 2025, with four different
companies showcasing multi-line braille displays \u2014 a long-awaited
innovation that could revolutionize literacy and information
access for blind users. But one persistent issue remained: cost.
The technology still relies on mechanical pins moving up and down,
which makes it expensive and difficult to scale. Until we move
beyond this outdated, costly mechanism, braille displays will
remain financially out of reach for many who need them most. We
need a breakthrough \u2014 a new refreshable braille technology that
eliminates the reliance on mechanical pins, allowing for a truly
affordable, scalable solution."<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
On 4/16/2025 10:30, carcione--- via Tactile-Talk wrote:</pre>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Dan,
do you know how that works? What does a person feel, with
no moving parts? I suppose they could use haptics or
something, but, at least for me, vibrations are not as clear
as dots for understanding a pattern.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Tracy<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
Tactile-Talk <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:tactile-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org"><tactile-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org></a> <b>On
Behalf Of </b>dan.tevelde--- via Tactile-Talk<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 16, 2025 1:20 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'Tactile Talk for the discussion of the
display and use of graphics on refreshable Braille
platforms' <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:tactile-talk@nfbnet.org"><tactile-talk@nfbnet.org></a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dan.tevelde@comcast.net">dan.tevelde@comcast.net</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Tactile-Talk] List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">I had the
impression that he meant any moving parts. I remember
reading at one time about technology which created virtual
buttons. It was described using the acronym MEMS. A tech
support person from my cell phone provider said it was a
technology used to replace physical buttons which can break.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Dan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
Tactile-Talk <<a href="mailto:tactile-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org" moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">tactile-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jenine Stanley via Tactile-Talk<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 16, 2025 11:54 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Tactile Talk for the discussion of the
display and use of graphics on refreshable Braille
platforms <<a href="mailto:tactile-talk@nfbnet.org" moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">tactile-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Jenine Stanley <<a href="mailto:jeninems@icloud.com" moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">jeninems@icloud.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Tactile-Talk] List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I\u2019d be curious to know if he meant the
piezoelectric pins or the little magnetic balls/pins used by
the less expensive displays like the Orbit Reader. <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Apr 16, 2025, at 12:14<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">\u202f</span>PM,
dan.tevelde--- via Tactile-Talk <<a href="mailto:tactile-talk@nfbnet.org" moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">tactile-talk@nfbnet.org</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Is
this list still active? I haven\u2019t seen any traffic
lately. I\u2019m interested in continuing the
discussion of tactile displays. It was interesting
reading a blog post by Kirk Adams describing his
impressions of the CSUN conference. He noted that
multi-line displays capable of displaying text and
graphics are too expensive for the average
consumer. I think we already knew that. It\u2019s like
any new technology. I remember the first Kurzweil
reading machine was $50,000 and you only saw them
at universities. Now we have reading machines in
our pockets. I can use my phone or Meta glasses to
read text. Could graphics displays become cheaper?
I don\u2019t know considering the situation with
reduced public funding.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">One
comment Kirk made puzzled me. He said graphics
displays should stop using pins. What would
replace the pins? He should have explained what he
meant which would have helped him make a case for
his ideas.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Dan</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
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