The digital revolution has not reached everyone in the same way. In a world where the next great invention is expected to appear on mobile phone screens, blind and visually impaired people have been left behind. However, some innovative projects are trying to exploit the potential of new technologies to make their life easier.

1. Technology for
the Blind:
Beyond Braille

2. Introduction
• The digital revolution has not reached
everyone in the same way.
• In a world where the next great
invention is expected to appear on
mobile phone screens, blind and
visually impaired people have
been left behind.
• However, some innovative projects are
trying to exploit the potential of new
technologies to make their life easier.

3. A RING TO READ ANY TEXT
• Many of us learned to read dragging our
finger across the paper to avoid getting
lost.
• This intuitive gesture can help blind and
visually impaired people to interpret
printed text through a ring-like device
that is able to recognize text and read it
aloud.

4. A TOUCHSCREEN CAPABLE OF
CREATING FIGURES AND BRAILLE
• Although there are solutions that can
convert text into speech, Braille remains
the closest thing to reading for blind
persons.
• There already are devices capable of
reproducing Braille characters in real
time, but they are based on moving
parts that go up and down to form
points of symbols.
• However, these devices cost thousands
of euros and their functionality is limited.

5. 3D PRINTING OF CHILDREN’S
BOOKS
• Generally, blind children do not start
reading Braille until the age of six.
• According to the 3D printing technology
can offer children and their families the
opportunity to start reading at an earlier
age while allowing them to start
exploring the world with their own
hands.

6. “SMART” GLASSES FOR THE BLIND
• Most blind people preserve some form of
vision, often limited to the perception of light
and movement.
• The smart glasses developed at the University
of Oxford take advantage of this residual vision
to enable the blind to get their bearings and
move through unknown environments.
• The glasses use a system comprised of
cameras and software to detect nearby objects
and present them in a form that is
recognizable to the user.

7. Conclusion
• It is easy to imagine how blindness could
be seen as an insurmountable barrier
when it comes to using a smartphone or
tablet.
• However, the easiest technology to
benefit from is that which we already
have in our pockets, and this is the time
to donate for the Orphanage in
Indiranagar, that make life easier
for blind people.