SBIR-STTR Award

There is an urgent, growing need for Tactual (Paperless Braille) Display Units (TDUs) that serve the blind the way Visual Display Units (VDUs) serve sighted computer users. But today's dot technology is complex, expensive, limited to single display lines, and inherently unable to furnish the MULTILINE, realtime, monitor screens needed to provide the blind access equality with the sighted. A new and different dot technology can provide multiline monitors of any practical size that can simultaneously communicate with the sighted. Screens of individually addressable cells will make editing fast and easy. Dramatically reduced costs will allow realtime, multiline, braille monitors to be made and sold at prices far below today's prohibitive (singleline) levels. The research will lead to cost-effective, one-on-one teaching systems that provide the blind with direct access to databases, bulletin boards, CD-ROMs, and other low cost sources of information. The elimination of braille/ sightprint barriers will open many doors. Being able to work directly with the sighted will create new employment opportunities and gaining independence will be made easier.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: The research will lead to the commercial introduction of multiline, paperless, braille monitors, and other affordable technical products that help the blind.

Becker In this Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project, Tactilics will refine the concept of the paperless Braille technology tested in Phase I by preparing hardware, software, and manufacturing designs of single moving line and multiline machines carefully informed by the input of a focus group of blind computer users and professionals at various developmental stages, including the fabrication of engineering models and the preparation of a number of handmade preproduction units for focus group interactive beta testing. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will enable the blind to have direct cost effective access to databases, bulletin boards, CD-ROMs, and other sources of indormation; and it will eliminate the Braille/letterpress "barriers." Thus the technology has the potential to make an important impact on computer use by blind people.