Page 53 - Status Report

and privacy. In addition, prolonged usage of headphones can be detrimental to hearing making it
unsuitable for long-term use. The aids which support digital content access in Braille cater to less
than 10% of the blind population living in developed countries due to an unaffordable price that is
upwards of $3,000.

The Initiative

This project proposes the replacement of print Braille with electronic digital display using Braille cells
with actuator technology-based on magnetic actuators instead of piezoelectricity. This is expected
to bring down the cost of products significantly and make it affordable to a large under-served
population. Current digital aids are audio-based, have a language limitation, and cost more than
$1,000. This technological innovation reduces the product cost by a factor of 10. The technology
has been tested with a lab-scale single line electronic Braille device as a proof-of-concept. The
present prototype has a Braille keypad,a 16-cell Braille screen and navigation buttons and displays
functionality in a stand alone mode with an SD card and on being paired with an android phone via
Bluetooth, whereby the entire accessibility of the phone can be done by means of the product.

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