If such applications and devices have a larger market segment i.e. the
number of users is larger (when used by both VI and the sighted) the product
may become less expensive for us.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rahul Kelapure" <rkelap...@gmail.com>
To: "accessindia" <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 12:35 PM
Subject: [AI] A Braille application that’s for everyone
A Braille application that’s for everyone
A simple cellphone app created to let the blind type could also let
sighted users text on their phone while doing other tasks like
walking, watching TV, socialising or even secretly during a meeting
Imagine if cellphone users could text a note under the table during a
meeting without anyone being the wiser. Mobile gadget users might also
be enabled to text while walking or socialising without taking their
eyes off what they’re doing.
Georgia Tech researchers have built a prototype app for touchscreen
devices. “Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting
is a viable solution for eyes-free texting in the future, making
obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting
text on them,” said Mario Romero, the project’s principal
investigator.
The free app, called BrailleTouch, incorporates the Braille writing
system used by the visually impaired. It has been conceived as a
texting tool for any of the millions of smartphone phone users
worldwide. Early studies with visually impaired participants
proficient in Braille typing have demonstrated that users can input at
least six times the number of words per minute compared to other
prototypes for eyes-free texting. Users reach up to 32 words per
minute with 92 per cent accuracy with the prototype app for the
iPhone.
For sighted users, the team is exploring how the app could be a
universal eyes-free texting app that replaces QWERTY keyboards.
The app uses a gesture-based solution by turning the touchscreen into
a soft-touch keyboard programmed for Braille and requiring only six
keys, making it a practical solution.
The key feature of the BrailleTouch is the use of the six-key config
so that the keyboard fits on the screen and users keep their fingers
in a relatively fixed position while texting. This design allows users
to hold their device with the screen facing away from them – cradling
the device with their palms to type with a majority of their fingers,
identical to typing Braille on a standard keyboard
--
Rahul Kelapure
+91 9833349929
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