INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Researchers from Harvard University have developed a framework to encode braille dots onto a blank material, which could be the first step
towards creating a braille ebook with just a single reprogrammable 'page'.It's a simple principle: a thin elastic shell is compressed by a
force from either end, and indents are made by poking the shell with a stylus
The indents remain after the force is released, and can be erased by stretching the shell flat again.Printed braille books take up far more
space than their ink equivalents
If successfully implemented, Harvard's reprogrammable braille could cut that down to a single rewritable page (much like a Kindle).There are
been several attempts at developing a braille ebook reader, but none have proved feasible
British firm Anagraphs made a working prototype in 2014
The reader heated paraffin wax, which caused it to expand and produce braille dots
Sadly, the project ran out of funding in 2014 and was shelved.Plug-and-play braille readersHarvard's reprogrammable braille is at a very
early stage, but there's good news for braille users in the near future too.Braille readers for PCs (which use rounded pins that push
change.The USB Implementers Forum (a non-profit organization created to support USB technology) recently announced that it was working with
that advancements in technology can create for people with disabilities and have a responsibility as an industry to develop new ways of
developers will start supporting the new USB braille standard in 2019.Via Engadget
