Touchscreen Braille Smartphone For Visually Impaired Techies

Wouldn’t it be nice if visually impaired people around the world could get to feel the same feeling you got the first time you experienced a smartphone? It’s a rush of adrenaline most of us take for granted now that we’ve had smartphones for several years. It must be hard knowing that everyone around you is constantly on a smartphone, but not fully understanding the reason why. That could soon change for visually impaired people.

This is a smartphone specifically designed for the blind. This isn’t some lame version of a smartphone either – it’s the real thing, with an innovative touchscreen. Visually impaired people will be able to read texts and send email, just like you do (and much more). The smartphone translates all text into Braille patterns, and then it displays those patterns on the touchscreen. It’s based on shape-memory alloy technology, which means the screen changes (depending on what there is to read), and then it goes back to its original shape.

According to creator Sumit Dagar, “This product is based on an innovative touchscreen which is capable of elevating and depressing the contents it receives to transform it into touchable patterns.” By using height mapping, this phone will also be able to display photos, videos, animation, maps, charts, etc. which visually impaired people have never been able to experience on a smartphone before. This phone is really jam-packed with features, and it’s exciting to know that it’s being prototyped now.

Thanks to recent funding through an award, this project is moving along faster than expected. This smartphone will be available soon. You can click over to Sumit Dagar‘s website for more information. This is the most inspiring innovation I’ve written about today. It’s such a testament for how technology and design can come together to change lives for the better.