Brailled : A Braille translation aid

Abstract: The purpose of the project was to develop a product that would serve as a support for the learning of Braille. Learning Braille is a time consuming process. People who have recently suffered a visual impairment have a lower sensitivity to touch than those who have been visually impaired for a longer period. According to a study [1], the learning process can lead to depression. At the same time, the technology for support systems for the visually impaired is underdeveloped. The questions examined in the project were partly about the environment’s influence on the accuracy of the instrument’s translation of Braille. Partly, if it was possible to create an instrument that can translate Braille in standard format and at the same time be a suitable aid for a user with a visual impairment. The instrument consisted of four main parts; reading surface, reading head, audio output and keyboard. The purpose of the reading surface was to place the Braille to be translated under the reading head using a stepper motor. The reading head would then interpret the letter, which would then be called out as an audio file using the audio output. All operations of the instrument would be controlled by a keyboard with three push buttons. The resulting product was promising. The analysis showed that it was fully possible to create a functioning Braille translator. However the product requires some further development in order to be used as an effective aid