[gui-talk] full screen Braille displays and current screen reading/Braille display drivers

Wed May 19 22:09:18 UTC 2010

This is not new either, but what I was thinking of when I found it was,
how would our current crop of screen reader applications deal with this
"change" to the display theme of single line or sequential audio?

I've often felt a three line 40 cell display would really be nice to
give the ability to have the multi-line context without attempting to do
the full screen.  

Electroactive Polymer Design Opens Door To 'Full Screen' Displays For
The Blind

For Immediate Release

Matt Shipman <mailto:matt_shipman at ncsu.edu>  | News Services
<http://ncsu.edu>  | 919.515.6386 
Dr. Peichun Yang <mailto:pyang2 at ncsu.edu>  | 919.513.1976
Release Date: 03.29.2010
Filed under NCSU Home <http://news.ncsu.edu/category/ncsu_home/> , 
Releases <http://news.ncsu.edu/category/releases/>  
Imagine if your computer only allowed you to see one line at a time, no
matter what you were doing - reading e-mail, looking at a Web site,
doing research. That's the challenge facing blind computer users today.
But new research from North Carolina State University is moving us
closer to the development of a display system that would allow the blind
to take full advantage of the Web and other computer applications.
"Right now, electronic Braille displays typically only show one line of
text at a time. And they're very expensive," says Dr. Neil Di Spigna, a
research assistant professor at NC State and co-author of a paper
describing the research. In order to develop a more functional, and
affordable, tool that would allow the blind to interface with their
computers, Di Spigna and his colleagues are working to develop a
full-page, refreshable Braille display. Braille uses a series of raised
dots to represent letters and numbers, allowing blind people to read.

<http://v3prod.news.ncsu.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/braille-400.j
pg> 
The researchers have developed a concept called a "hydraulic and
latching mechanism," which would allow the development of a full-page,
refreshable Braille display system.
Such a display would also translate images into tactile displays,
effectively mapping pixels in an image and allowing the full-page
Braille display to represent the images as raised dots.
The researchers have developed a concept called a "hydraulic and
latching mechanism," which would allow the development of such a display
system. The mechanism would be made of an electroactive polymer that is
very resilient and inexpensive, when compared to current Braille display
technologies. "This material will allow us to raise dots to the correct
height, so they can be read," says Dr. Peichun Yang, a postdoctoral
research associate at NC State and co-author of the paper. "Once the
dots are raised, a latching mechanism would support the weight being
applied by a person's fingers as the dots are read. The material also
responds quickly, allowing a reader to scroll through a document or Web
site quickly."
Earlier this month, the researchers presented their findings on the
hydraulic component of the mechanism, showing that it is a viable
technology. The next step is to demonstrate a proof-of-concept model of
the latching mechanism. "We hope to have a fully functioning prototype
of the mechanism within a year," Di Spigna says, "and that could serve
as the functional building block of a full-screen refreshable display."
"Reading Braille is essential to allowing blind people to find
employment," says Yang, who is blind. "We're optimistic that this
technology will give the blind additional opportunities in this area."
"The last 20 years of computer technology have been relatively
inaccessible - and today's common mobile computing devices, from
smart-phones to digital navigators and iPads, have been completely
nonexistent - to blind people, because the display technology for the
blind has not kept pace," says David Winick, a researcher at NC State
and co-author of the paper. "We hope to enable the development of
applications that will give the blind more complete access to the
internet and other computer resources, such as e-books."
The research, "The integration of novel EAP-based Braille cells for use
in a refreshable tactile display," was presented March 8 at the 12th
International Conference on Electroactive Polymer Actuators And Devices
in San Diego. The work was funded by the National Institute of
Disability and Rehabilitation Research, which is part of the U.S.
Department of Education. The work was co-authored by Di Spigna, Yang,
Winick, Parthasarathi Chakraborti, an NC State graduate student, Dr.
Tushar Ghosh, a professor of textile engineering chemistry and science,
and Dr. Paul Franzon, a professor of electrical and computer
engineering.
NC State's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is part of
the university's College of Engineering. NC State's Department of
Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science is part of the university's
College of Engineering and its College of Textiles.
-shipman-
Note to Editors: The presentation abstract follows.
"The integration of novel EAP-based Braille cells for use in a
refreshable tactile display"
Authors: N. Di Spigna, P. Chakraborti, D.Winick, P. Yang , T. Ghosh, P.
Franzon, North Carolina State University
Presented: March 8, 2010, at the 12th International Conference on
Electroactive Polymer Actuators And Devices in San Diego.
Abstract: Structures demonstrating the viability of both the hydraulic
and latching Braille dot, and the dielectric elastomer fiber Braille dot
have been fabricated and characterized. A hydraulic proof-of-concept
structure has achieved the necessary volumetric change required to lift
a Braille dot over 0.5mm at voltages under 1000V and at speeds under
100ms. Long bimorphs have been fabricated that demonstrate large tip
displacements over 2mm that could be used to mechanically latch the
Braille rod in the 'up' position to achieve the force requirement. The
addition of radial prestrain in dielectric elastomer tubes has reduced
the wall thickness and directed the strain in the axial direction which
has had a dramatic impact on their resulting characteristics. The
required bias voltage for the dielectric elastomer fiber Braille dot has
been reduced from 15.5kV to 8.75kV while the Braille head tip
displacement of a fabricated prototype has almost tripled on average and
now also exceeds the required displacement for a refreshable Braille
display. Finally, potential solutions to the current shortcomings of
both designs in meeting all of the requirements for such a display are
discussed.
*          
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Allen Hoffman
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