The "Visible World" project aims to create affordable graphical and tactile computer displays for visually impaired users. The project founder proposes a novel technology using electrical currents rather than mechanical needles for tactile feedback. This could enable displays as low as $125, compared to existing Braille displays that range from $750-1500. Initial stages of the project include developing prototypes and testing with workers at a factory that serves the visually impaired. The ultimate goal is mass production of various display sizes, including for smartphones, with a target monthly output of 1000 units or more sold internationally for $400 each.

1. “Visible World” Project.
1. “Visible World” Project. Graphical, tactile, computer display free of mechanical modules
designed for cecutient users. Milyoshin Oleg omil@inbox.ru.
2. Project summary. Goals and objectives. Graphical, tactile, cecutient users displays
production organization. TA: Visually handicapped users able to work. Innovation: There
are character, mechanical one or two bar Braille displays held out on the market at an
average price between 750 – 1500 $. The displays I offer are notable for their high
reliability, low cost value (less than 125 $) and graphical representation at least 320 – 200
pxls that was beyond the reach of the users before. Project status – «pre-seed».
3. Technologies: alternatives and competitors. Character, mechanical Braille displays
manufactured nowadays are designed with piezoelectric elements and mechanical (2 *5)
needles:
4. Twenty elements of that kind build one character bar (when all of them in operation). The
price and reliability though are not up to the mark.
5. Today there are piezomechanic Braille displays use to be designed and there are efforts
(following the patents) to replace piezoelements with modules of other nature. Anyway
all of them are based on the same common classical principle – a needle moving in and
out which makes the entire construction too complex and expensive.
6. Each pair of electrodes, approximately 1 mm every one of them, is used as an analogue
of pixel proper for regular displays. “Visible World” Project Technology. Our display
operational characteristics, voltage and current are combined in order to bring to a user
appropriate tickling feeling. The project is based on the invention (applications are being
adjusted) which makes possible using of electrical current for tactile information
transition, i.e. skin nerve-ending (finger-tips) irritation with electromagnetic impulse.
7. Project Stages: the actual technology in question basically presumes manufacture of big
size displays, small smartphone displays and single bar, character-sign displays designed
to be plugged in different devices.
8. Financial plan: volume of output at least 1000 items a month and selling price 400 $
(EXW), see farther. Mass production, from 1000 up to 5000 (and more depending on the
actual demand volume and capital expenditure), is to be located in several factories in
China andor in Malaysia. The most complex, precisely the most expensive part of the
creation is a controller. Generally it’s a simple video controller. However it has special
features which make a special microchip to be ordered for the controller manufacture.We
are planning the development of several prototypes, their approbation, choosing of the
optimal layout, output of 50 – 100 alpha version items basing on the manufacture
capabilities of Zelenograd and their further operation testing on the factory by cecutient
workers.
9. Targeted markets Overview.
TA – active, solvent, able to work part –is more than 100 million potential users in th
world. There is more than 300 thousand in RF. There are more 300 million visually
handicapped persons totally expected in 2015. According to WHO (World Health
Organization) information, there was about 37 million blind people in January 2011.
More than about 127 million people have a very feeble vision. The observers register
world visually handicapped people growth trend. It results from eye diseases, particularly
glaucoma, consequences of diabetes, work and domestic traumatism, local wars etc.