[nfbcs] Fw: Thai researchers develop affordable Braille display

[Mike Freeman]

I suspect that most of the researchers are really fishing for investment
funds.

Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim
Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2012 9:49 AM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Fw: Thai researchers develop affordable Braille display

It's amazing how many of these stories there are about researchers making a
breakthrough in developing inexpensive braille displays. I'll bet I've seen
10 of them in the last 5 years. It's amazing to me that the raised soenoid
technology still dominates. I'd have thought that by now, one of these
breakthroughs would have been legitimate. 


On Dec 30, 2012, at 8:46 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:

> 
> Thai researchers develop affordable braille display
> 
> Asia-Pacific, Dec 27, 2012
> 
> 
> 
> THAILAND: Thai researchers say they have developed a new and cheaper way
for people who are blind to read text from a computer.
> 
> 
> 
> A team at the Synchrotron Light Research Centre in Nakhon Ratchasima said
they have developed a Braille display with polymer cylinders that react to
light
> 
> rays to help people with vision disabilities read text.
> 
> 
> 
> While computer-connected Braille displays are not new, Synchrotron's
innovation is the first of its kind in the world, and is much cheaper than
other types
> 
> of Braille displays, researcher Rungrueng Phatthanakun said.
> 
> 
> 
> Synchrotron is the name of an accelerator, a machine that speeds up
electrons in the machine's magnetic field to produce light.
> 
> 
> 
> The light produces an x-ray which then causes tiny cylinders made out of a
polymer substance on the reading display to move up and down beneath the
reader's
> 
> fingers as "raised dots" of Braille alphabets.
> 
> 
> 
> Mr Rungrueng said his team had made a Braille display suitable for reading
Thai script.
> 
> 
> 
> However, users at Nakhon Ratchasima's school for the blind found the
display gives only a 67% accuracy in reading Thai words. English-reading
accuracy was
> 
> measured at 83%.
> 
> 
> 
> While some foreign Braille displays cost more than 300,000 baht a unit,
the researchers expect to sell their new displays for about 50,000 apiece,
Mr Rungrueng
> 
> said.
> 
> 
> 
> His team is seeking a patent for the innovation, and improving the device
to help users read electronic texts more accurately. The team also plans to
develop
> 
> Braille displays compatible with tablet computers and smart phones.
> 
> 
> 
> Source: Bangkok Post
> 
> ===
> 
> If we assume this Braille display would cost about on-sixth the price of
the displays we know, it would put it at about $500, still pretty step for a
lot of people.  But it is interesting.
> 
> David
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfbcs mailing list
> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbcs:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/jheim%40math.wisc.edu

_______________________________________________
nfbcs mailing list
nfbcs at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nfbcs:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/k7uij%40panix.com