Tag Archives: blind

Electronic 3D book concept helps visually impaired kids feel the magic of fairy tales

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Reading is already a difficult task for people with visual impairments, but it’s especially challenging when it comes to material that involves a lot of visual elements. Adults might have not much of a problem visualizing those words in their minds, but children who are still developing their mental libraries will probably have a harder time. Fairy tales and fictional books with fantasy elements are examples of these highly visual materials, and simply hearing the narration or feeling the words through Braille feels rather insufficient to capture the emotions and magic of the stories. This electronic book concept tries to offer an equally magical experience that makes the objects and scenes pop out from the book, almost literally.

Designers: Subin Kim, Yujeong Shin, Seungyeon Lee

It’s pretty amazing how blind and visually impaired people can read a book while sliding their hands across seemingly random dots, almost like magic. But the text on a page doesn’t exactly show the images associated with the words, relying on your imagination to conjure up those associations mentally. Of course, that comes almost like second nature for those with normal eyesight, but the visually impaired, especially younger ones, need a bigger boost to help match words with shapes and objects.

bbook is a concept for an electronic 3D book that provides all the necessary tools for a child with visual impairments to not only make sense of but also enjoy such fantastical books. It has an audio component that reads the book out loud, with large tactile buttons that let the reader skip forward or backward as desired. There’s also a dynamic Braille “page” where dots rise and sink as the words change.

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The most interesting part of the book, however, is the fabric-like material on the opposite page. This soft material would also rise to create bumps but not as words in Braille but as actual three-dimensional objects related to the story being told. It could be Snow White’s apple, Cinderella’s glass slipper, or the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. In addition to the educational value of this feature, it also helps make the story feel even more magical.

Every part of the 3D book was designed so that a visually impaired individual could use it without assistance. Even the charging indicators are elevating dots rather than LEDs so they can feel how much more time it needs. bbook also has a rather interesting feature where each individual story is inserted into the device like a USB stick, making each tale a memorable and magical experience.

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Smart home device concepts empower visually-impaired members of society

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Our homes and appliances are becoming more powerful, but they are also becoming more complicated. Many interfaces are fortunately being reworked to simplify our interaction with these devices, but almost all of them still require a clear view of what the interfaces are. Sure, there are voice commands nowadays, as well as AI, but as any smart homeowner has experienced, these aren’t always fast or reliable. Unfortunately, all these new interfaces, even the minimalist ones, tend to cut off those with vision disabilities, depriving them not only of enjoyment or convenience but also of a sense of confidence and security in their own homes. It doesn’t actually take much to design with accessibility in mind, and as these three smart device concepts show, such creative designs might be useful or even fun for those who can see perfectly as well.

Designer: Jaehee Lee, Byeonguk Ahn, Minseok Kim

Many smart devices today tend to value aesthetics or functions too highly without considering how those would negatively impact the experience of people who are either blind or visually impaired. Some have too many buttons or have buttons that are all shaped similarly, making it difficult to tell by touch which one is which. Worse, there are those that use only touch controls on flat glass surfaces, which are completely useless unless you can see their marks. Beyond Sight is a collection of concept designs that address these flaws by using unambiguous motions and shapes that actually look fun to use, regardless of the state of your vision.

A smart speaker, for example, uses simple taps to play or pause the audio. Volume is controlled by sliding a ball up or down a pole while changing tracks involves turning the dial at the top. For people who can’t see or can’t see clearly, these definite tactile controls leave no room for guessing their functions. For those that can see what the speaker looks like, the design adds an element of fun and play to a device that has almost become too utilitarian these days.

The smart remote control might look and feel like a toy flashlight, but its polygonal shaft does more than provide a good grip. To change channels, you roll the device to one or the other side. To turn the TV on, you simply put the remote down from a standing to a lying position. The head of the device is a dial that you can turn to adjust the volume, and a large button lets you summon your voice-controlled AI assistant to do the more advanced functions that the remote doesn’t support. Admittedly, the rolling gesture might be a bit cumbersome, especially if you need to go through many channels quickly.

Lastly, a timer imitates the primary mechanism of rotary phone dials of the past so that people can slip their finger into the large hole and read the time in Braille. Setting the timer involves just turning that dial to the desired amount of time in 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60-minute intervals. The circular surface of the device slopes down toward that hole, easily guiding the finger to where it needs to be.

For those with visual impairments, the designs of these concept devices give them enjoyment and security in a home that’s increasingly becoming impersonal and intimidating for them. For those that can see clearly, the devices’ designs give them a toy-like character that hints not only at their ease of use but also at their fun controls, proving that accessible designs can truly benefit everyone.

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This discreet device helps blind people read voice memos with their fingertips

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There is a veritable wealth of technology available at our fingertips, from smartphones to hands-free voice assistants to AI that can create convincing (or deceptive) works of art. Amazing as they might be, not everyone is able to utilize these technologies that make human life more convenient, especially when it comes to things that you need to see to be able to use. Visually impaired people are among those disenfranchised by many of these common technologies and devices, and they actually make up a large part of today’s population. Even something as simple as taking notes for recalling later can be a frustrating process despite modern technology, but this simple-looking device concept attempts to put those technologies to work in a very inconspicuous way.

Designer: Seunghyun Ko

We do have quite a few devices and services today that don’t require vision to use. Voice-controlled smart assistants, for example, give feedback via voice as well and offer auditory cues instead of notifications on screens. Of course, they can also take voice notes for yourself that you can ask them to play at a later time. Unfortunately, that kind of interaction isn’t always possible, especially in public places where you might not want other to hear that memo to yourself, or it might not be possible to hear the voice note in the middle of a noisy environment.

TEXT.ure offers a solution that is both simple yet ingenious, combining several existing technologies into a single design that could significantly improve the quality of life of visually-impaired people. In a nutshell, the user records a voice memo onto the device, and it uses speech recognition and perhaps a pinch of AI to translate that memo into Braille. Inside the device is a grid of dots that can be raised or lowered to form the corresponding Braille characters so that the user can read the note later in private.

The idea might sound simple but the execution is quite elegant. TEXT.ure comes as a square device with rounded corners and smooth surfaces. It opens up into two parts, revealing the Braille mechanism inside. The shape is reminiscent of the general form of notepads, or at least how blind people might perceive it through their fingertips.

A great deal of attention was poured into the texture and tactile experience of the device, especially since visually-impaired people rely heavily on their sense of touch. The use of plastic, though questionable, is meant to convey feelings of lightness and softness, while the silicone carrying strap makes gives one an assurance of flexibility and durability. The fabric that covers the hinge connect the two halves also give a warm sensation. The few physical controls that the device has are all located at the edges and are clearly marked so that they can be easily distinguished and manipulated with a single touch.

TEXT.ure might sound and look like a simple device, but its minimalism belies the power that it gives to people who might feel powerless even with today’s technologies. Being able to quickly dictate a note to oneself and be able to read it later with privacy isn’t something that is easily available to visually-impaired people. It’s unfortunate that such devices still exist only in the realm of concepts, but hopefully designers and engineers will be able to come together and build something like this soon.

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These gloves help visually-impaired sports fans enjoy events even more

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Much of what we do presume almost complete access to our physical and mental faculties. Most of the products that we make and buy are designed for the majority, which mostly means physically-able people in good condition. It is far too easy to take for granted how there’s a growing number of people in our society with physical handicaps or disabilities that become disenfranchised because of these assumptions. Given our reliance on devices with screens as well as genetic defects, many people are developing visual impairments that leave them out of enjoying many things in life. That’s especially true for sports, where one really has to see to be able to enjoy the action. Fortunately, this pair of gloves sports fans with visual impairments a chance to feel part of the game once more, utilizing the wearer’s heightened sense of touch.

Designer: Jithin Raj Mambully Rajan

The human mind and body are truly remarkable in how they compensate for lost senses or limbs, and that can be seen most especially among visually-impaired people, particularly the blind. They may not have Daredevil-like super hearing, but their fingers almost become their second eyes. Those well-versed in Braille can sometimes even read faster than those who have perfect eyesight. Unfortunately, that ability is wasted in sports events where visually-impaired people have to rely on commentators or friends for descriptions of what’s happening, something that’s not trivial to do, especially with fast-paced matches.

SENS is a wearable concept that takes advantage of the key strengths of blind or visually-impaired people when it comes to mapping the sense of touch to something totally unrelated. In a nutshell, the gloves contain three vibration motors, each that make vibration patterns on the wearer’s palms, one of the most sensitive parts of the human hand. There is also a box with buttons on the back of the hand with Braille dots used for controlling the gloves.

The idea is for the gloves’ motors to generate a unique vibration pattern that could be mapped to a specific action during a sports event, which was tennis, for the purposes of testing SENS. A fault would have a different pattern from a net hit, and a score on one side would be different from the opponent’s. Memorizing which patterns correspond to which moments does have a learning curve, but it is one that visually-impaired people might already be familiar with, allowing them to easily acclimate to other sports.

This inclusive invention does require other systems to be in place, like a sort of broadcasting system that wearers can connect to in order to receive notifications of those events. It might be easy for games like tennis, where ball-tracking technologies are already in use, but other sports events will require some more work. It’s still a better, more efficient, and more fulfilling alternative compared to hearing about each and every moment from someone else’s point of view.

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Dot Pad tablet lets visually impaired people see pictures with their fingertips

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Thanks to today’s technologies and bright minds, visually impaired people no longer have to settle for voice-overs and text to enjoy the magic of pictures.

Modern life has seemingly settled around digital artifacts, from files to videos to photos. While there are devices and software that help translate these pieces of content into something that could be consumed by those with vision problems, there remains one kind of content that can’t be transformed that easily. Text can easily be spoken out or be “felt” using braille, but blind and visually impaired people often have to rely on text descriptions for images, which sometimes aren’t available. With this rather innovative device, they no longer have to settle for anything less, allowing them to feel pictures the way they do text.

Designer: Dot Inc.

The human mind and body are quite amazing when it comes to adapting to physical problems. Those with vision disabilities, for example, tend to develop more heightened senses of hearing and touch. Adept braille readers can almost match the speed of those with sufficient vision, making it look like they’re magically reading off a book using their fingers. Utilizing that same incredible skill, this unique tablet literally puts images under people’s fingertips so that they can see rather than just read or hear photos, graphs, and drawings.

Braille tablets aren’t exactly new, but Dot Pad takes this idea to the next level by having a large area with 2400 dots grouped in 30×10 cells that change in real-time to mirror an image from a paired iPad or iPhone. There is also a smaller area with 20×1 cells that can be used for displaying text in braille, useful for images that come with their own captions. The idea is to let visually impaired people slide their fingers over those dots to be able to form the correct picture in their minds, rather than relying on descriptions that could be inaccurate.

The slate itself is rather unremarkable in terms of visual design. It’s a large and rather thick black rectangle with legs on its upper back to allow it to lie on a table at an angle. The two dot-grid areas are separated by chunky buttons that would allow people to identify and push the right ones without having to see them. The product is designed more for durability and reliability rather than appearances, which is quite acceptable given its intended audience.

Dot Pad is an innovative solution that opens the doors wide open for people with visual disabilities to enjoy more of the world around them. It also empowers them to be more productive in life since the pad allows them to also understand graphs and charts better. These people no longer need to feel left out or ostracized because of their impairments and can even become a source of pride when they show off their mad skills in interpreting visual data using just their fingers.

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Ehsaas Braille watch concept will let the visually impaired feel the time

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It’s interesting how unique concept designs from some years ago inspired a number of products we commonly use these days. That’s how important conceptual products are. You design something and even if it doesn’t become a reality, some group will pick up the idea and bring it into production.

Most conceptual product designs inspire and spark the imagination. The Ehsaas from several years ago gave the world hope for the blind. The watch was meant for the blind as it uses the Braille writing system. As a widely used tactile writing system, Braille can be used on anything or anywhere a blind person can access. It’s used for learning and communication with only the use of raised dots.

Designer: Nikhil Kapoor

EHSAAS Braille Watch

Feeling those dots will tell you what is being communicated. Designer Nikhil Kapoor once imagined a watch for the blind. It was called the Ehsaas and was designed with a Braille system. Braille numbers are on the watch face area so the blind can feel the time.

EHSAAS Braille Watch

This is no ordinary watch. It uses an Electronic Active Polymer on the watch face. The watch strap is elastic which makes it comfortable and easy to wear. Keeping track of time may be easier now compared to several years ago when the Ehsaas was designed but using Braille is still a significant moment for visually impaired people.

Time can be told but it can’t be touched nor felt. But with a Braille watch, it can be felt. The simple watch makes reading the time easy. A blind person can just slide on and feel the dots and tell time.

EHSAAS Braille Watch

EHSAAS Braille Watch

The Braille code is fabricated by an Electronic Active Polymers. It tells the time including the hour and minute. The two codes are separated by a line. At the bottom part is a small part that reminds the wearer of the right way of wearing.

The watch is stored in special packaging. Inside the box, you will see the instructions on how to use the concept watch in braille. With this wearable device, the “feel of the time is what matters”. The feel of the watch doesn’t really count now but it still needs to accomplish its purpose.

EHSAAS Braille Watch

EHSAAS Braille Watch

The post Ehsaas Braille watch concept will let the visually impaired feel the time first appeared on Yanko Design.

The ViXion is a mixed-reality headset designed specifically for people with low-vision and night-blindness

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Partnering with Japan-based startup ViXion, Nendo has unveiled an eponymously named mixed-reality headset that’s designed specifically for people with reduced visibility. ViXion is a sleek headset that helps the legally blind (or people suffering from night blindness) see around them. The headset comes with a camera that captures the world ahead of the wearer, while an internal processor increases the visibility of the footage by amping up the brightness and the contrast, and projects the images onto the wearer’s eyes, allowing them to see better.

Fundamentally doing exactly the opposite of what sunglasses do, the ViXion is a headset that aids people with low vision, low peripheral vision, or night blindness, by brightening what’s ahead of them. The headset is characterized by a slim visor with a fisheye camera at the center, capturing footage across a wide periphery. The footage is processed to increase its visibility and then projected onto a semitransparent mirror display in front, for the viewer to clearly see. The wearer can also switch between black and white vision, black and white inversion, and high-contrast colors to match their visual needs.

Designer: Nendo

A Honda-incubated startup designed this genius in-shoe GPS navigation system that can guide the visually impaired

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Designed to integrate right into the wearer’s shoe, the Ashirase uses a series of haptic ‘tickles’ to help guide the visually impaired as they walk, providing a much more intuitive and effective alternative to using a smartphone.

The Ashirase has a rather heartbreaking backstory. Honda EV-engineer Wataru Chino began working on the concept following the death of a slightly visually impaired relative under circumstances he deemed avoidable. Determined to come up with a much more effective solution to help the blind navigate roads freely and safely, Chino saw no alternative but to craft together a design solution. Honda even helped incubate the design and build the startup through its new-business incubation initiative, IGNITION.

Armed with one less sense, visually impaired pedestrians find it incredibly difficult to navigate to unknown destinations. With their limited senses occupied in concentrating on directions, they can often forget to pay attention to their surroundings or the roads, putting them in danger. The inverse is problematic too, because when they pay more attention to their immediate surroundings, they could in the process forget to follow the directions correctly and get lost. Chino’s solution helps the impaired concentrate on the road while also being able to intuitively receive directions in a less-distracting way. The wearable sits sandwiched between the foot and the wearer’s sneaker. This frees up the user’s hand to hold onto their walking cane (as opposed to their smartphone), and allows them to use their ears to sense their surroundings (instead of listening to audio directions).

The name Ashirase comes from the Japanese word ‘oshirase’, for notice/notification, as the in-shoe wearable helps notify the wearer while they walk, effectively guiding them through a series of vibrations. The in-shoe wearable comes in two parts – a silicone band that wraps around the foot, and an electronic ‘compass’ that provides the haptic feedback. Wearables on each foot help guide the user in any direction, guiding the wearer to their end-destination that’s fed into Ashirase’s smartphone app (which also decides the most optimal path for the wearer to take). The app currently runs on the Google Maps API, which provides a few limitations like needing the internet to work, and not being able to provide effective navigation indoors, although the company is already working on overcoming those drawbacks.

Chino’s startup plans on releasing a beta version of the Ashirase system in Japan in October or November of this year, where users will be provided with free versions of the wearable and the app for testing purposes. Following the public beta, Ashirase is gunning for a commercial-ready product by October 2022, with a subscription-based payment system that should cost somewhere between $18 to $27 (or 2000-3000 Yen).

Designer: Ashirase LLC (Wataru Chino)

This kitchen induction stovetop uses voice recognition and tactile elements to be blind-friendly!

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Today, induction stovetops are widely preferred over gas stovetops. Food cooks a little faster on induction stovetops, they’re easy to clean, and, without any visible flames, they’re generally considered much safer than gas stoves. However, when it comes to designing sleek induction stovetops specifically built for the blind community, the cooktop industry has a long way to go. Conceptualized by Hyeon Park, Curva is an induction stovetop specifically built for use by blind people.

Noticing the shortcomings of induction stovetops when considering the needs of blind people, Park improved several aspects of the traditional induction stovetop that could pose risks and hazards to the blind person who might be using it. The typical induction stovetop boasts a flat surface, which is usually the primary reason buyers choose it– it’s sleek, compact, and minimal in design.

However, the physical dials and knobs of gas stovetops have been replaced with haptic sensors and incognito buttons that cannot be felt by the blind community. Curva doesn’t compromise the induction stovetop’s flat surface but instead incorporates physical elements like ridges and slightly raised hot plates to help guide blind people when cooking.

Each hot plate on Curva’s stovetop is embossed and consists of different textures so that blind people can pinpoint the location of each one. Additionally, the firepower dial has a matte finish while the timer dial has a semi-glossy finish, indicating to the user the knobs’ different functions. Curva also comes equipped with voice controls that register commands for operation. The stovetop’s freeze function relies on weight sensors to keep the cookware lodged into the hotplate.

Designer: Hyeon Park

Textured and tactile features fill out the design of Curva.

Two raised hot plates allow blind cookers to pinpoint their location.

A disconnected raised ridge can be felt by those who are blind, indicating a nearby hotplate.

The knobs of Curva are textured to indicate different functions.

The fire burner knob dons a matte finish, while the timer dial is semi-glossy.

Curva’s freeze function keeps cookware on top of hot plates through weight sensors.

The freeze function can be blocked or activated with the push of a button.

While there are some added features to Curva’s design, it still holds that classic slim body for which induction stovetops are known.

Facebook improves AI photo descriptions for the visually impaired

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Facebook has long been using AI to describe photos for the visually impaired, but it’s stepping up its efforts in 2021. The social media giant has detailed a new version of automatic alternative text (AAT) that promises much more information.Instead...