Smartphone For the Blind Invented In India

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Smartphone For the Blind Invented In India

Posted by samzenpus on Monday April 22, 2013 @10:01AM from the let-your-fingers-do-the-talking dept.

hypnosec writes "The world's first smartphone for the blind that features a display capable of converting text and pictures into Braille and raised patterns has been invented in India. Based on Shape Memory Technology – a concept whereby metals expand and contract to retain their original shape – the phone's screen has a grid of pins. These pins move up and down based on the text or display to be represented."

46 comments

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Useful even for the non-blind by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:03 · Score: 1

Imagine the battery life on a device that never had to light up a display all the time.
1. Re:Useful even for the non-blind by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:32 · Score: 1
  
  1) the display is not lit all the time on a normal smartphone
  2) most "idle" power draw is from the radio emitter/receiver, keeping touch with the base station
  3) shape memory alloys draw tons of current and get burning hot...
2. Re:Useful even for the non-blind by ArcadeMan · 2013-04-22 12:13 · Score: 2
  
  You mean like electronic ink?
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
3. Re:Useful even for the non-blind by stephanruby · 2013-04-22 13:37 · Score: 2
  
  Imagine the battery life on a device that never had to light up a display all the time.
  Yes, imagine the battery life on a device that is using mechanical parts for display purposes. What used to be 6 hours battery life may now mean a 30 minutes battery life. Imagine all blind people fighting each other for the last electrical outlets at malls, conferences, and coffee shops.
  It will be very interesting to say the least.
4. Re:Useful even for the non-blind by davester666 · 2013-04-22 17:33 · Score: 0
  
  First use-> realtime online sex stimulation Everybody will have the phone stuffed down their pants.
  
  --
  Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
But is it practical? by segin · 2013-04-22 10:04 · Score: 1

If it's a grid of pens, a lot of gestures based on swiping seem slightly risky because it could end up taking off a chunk of skin under a very rare corner case.
1. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:09 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  You're just holding it wrong.
2. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:16 · Score: 0
  
  I have a hard enough time finding my phone when i've lost it... Imagine being blind and trying to find it without robocalling it.
3. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:23 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  If it's a grid of pens, a lot of gestures based on swiping seem slightly risky because it could end up taking off a chunk of skin under a very rare corner case.
  1) Braille is read by running your fingers over the bumps. If there was a chance of slicing off skin from swiping over these pins, then it fails at the basic intended purpose of displaying braille in the first place.
  2) A lot of the gestures you're thinking of only make sense for the visual display on the phone. swiping a on/off switch to on only makes sense if you can make the visual connection to a switch metaphor from the graphics. This inherently doesn't work if you're blind since the metaphor is completely visual (and wouldn't carry over to a tactile experience well). Not to mention the OS would have to distinguish between a gesture operation vs a sweeping finger that is just reading the braille.
  It doesn't look like it's something you could throw any OS on and have it work as some sort of accessibility assistant for everything, but it's a technological advancement towards having both a portable text/image -> braille converters (the article looked like the phone could OCR off the camera and produce braille from that), as well as the hardware base for a more blind-friendly smartphone + OS.
4. Re:But is it practical? by phantomfive · 2013-04-22 10:26 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  These things already exist. Make sure your websites are accessible for blind people.
  
  iPhone already has a good accessibility system for blind people. You can drag your finger across the phone, and it will read whatever you are touching in a computer voice. It's amazing to watch a blind person using an iphone with it.
  
  Android has a similar system, except it's better because it's open to third parties, and worse because it is buggy.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
5. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:31 · Score: 0
  
  I take it you've never worked with a braille interface for a computer then.
6. Re:But is it practical? by segin · 2013-04-22 10:53 · Score: 1
  
  No, I'm not blind. I'm using Slashdot.
7. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 11:14 · Score: 0
  
  Android is better because it's open to third parties, and worse because it is buggy.
  FTFY
8. Re:But is it practical? by ArcadeMan · 2013-04-22 12:15 · Score: 2
  
  But, you say, how can I test websites for the blind since I am not blind?
  Close your eyes for a few seconds and think about it.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
9. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 13:41 · Score: 0
  
  Many of the refreshable braille displays in the link above are bluetooth enabled. This means you can use them on smartphones and tablets already. Blind users who know braille can read the screen this way without having to listen to it being read aloud (or in an earbud).
  In my side by side tests, the VoiceOver built into iOS curbstomps the similar products on Android. Android is more difficult to install blind accessibility (multiple packages that must be installed individually from PlayStore, more difficult to get it working, etc. Even after all that, most android devs don't use the hooks for accessibility. I test this every few months; works very well on iOS and sorta works on Android.
10. Re:But is it practical? by phantomfive · 2013-04-22 14:00 · Score: 2
  
  In my side by side tests, the VoiceOver built into iOS curbstomps the similar products on Android.
  Yes. Unfortunately I would never suggest Android to a blind person.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
11. Re:But is it practical? by stephanruby · 2013-04-22 14:02 · Score: 1
  
  These things already exist.
  
  Yes, they do, and I've even tried two different models at Google I/O, but they're not the same as this thing. This Indian device promises to be a thousand times better and cooler. See pictures here and here.
  Unfortunately, it seems to be a concept-only device right now. No outsider was given the actual prototype to try in real life, and no one was even shown a demo in real life. So to me, that means it's a concept-only device.
  I generally do not trust picture mockups and PR people, especially from a company that I've never heard of before (the company could be legit, but honestly, I just don't know that either way). So one hopes that this device does work and does behave as described, and that it will come out soon. Because for all we know, this could be just another flying car concept: a very cool and attractive concept, but one that doesn't really work as originally advertised or as originally promised.
12. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 15:37 · Score: 0
  
  Quick, patent rounded corners to reduce injury!
13. Re:But is it practical? by ozmanjusri · 2013-04-22 15:39 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  If there was a chance of slicing off skin from swiping over these pins, then it fails at the basic intended purpose of displaying braille in the first place.
  Very true.
  My blind friend once picked up a cheese-grater by mistake. She said it was the most violent book she'd ever read.
  
  --
  "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
14. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 16:05 · Score: 0
  
  Perfect for the deaf and blind, oh wait...
15. Re:But is it practical? by phantomfive · 2013-04-22 16:41 · Score: 1
  
  FWIW here are the WWW guidelines for accessibility. If you want to make sure your content is available for disabled people (and you should), that is a good place to check.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
16. Re:But is it practical? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 17:06 · Score: 0
  
  Pins in this case typically have rounded ends..so its just like reading braille
typing by Threni · 2013-04-22 10:15 · Score: 0

âThe concept took around 3 years to materialize and with the validation and iteration stage
â receiving a great response the prototyping is currently going on.
Sounds like it was written by the arse hole with the thick accent who keeps phoning me at home and asking me about loans.
It's a good thing they're blind... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:15 · Score: 0

because this looks kind of horrifying.
Imagined != Invented by timeOday · 2013-04-22 10:23 · Score: 1, Redundant

It appears to be nothing but CGI at this point.
I quote: "Once the prototype of the product is ready..."
1. Re:Imagined != Invented by OptimalCynic · 2013-04-22 14:46 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, and I'll bet it doesn't work as well in reality as they think it will. Anyone remember that Rainbow Versatile Disc thing?
virtual keyboard by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:27 · Score: 0

If this means I can finally make this virtual keyboard on my phone usable, I'm all for it.
Power consumption by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 10:28 · Score: 0

SMA (Shape Memory Alloys) are a bit... slow, need about 100C to contract by a few %, and require a LOT of current to reach that temperature.
expect a normal battery to be depleted in 10 minutes.
it sucks to be blind :-/
Braille? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 11:52 · Score: 0

Did these guys bother to check how many blind people actually use Braille? It's a much lower percentage than I expected the first time I looked it up.
1. Re:Braille? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 12:19 · Score: 0
  
  How appropriate. You fight like a cow.
Why now and not earlier? by houbou · 2013-04-22 12:17 · Score: 2

1) There is no money in this for Apple, Samsung, Nokia and others, this is a niche phone for a minority of people.

2) Accessible phones in the usual UI way with readers have been around for a while as well as computers.

Problem with web content is that some authors don't make it accessible to other types of user agents (beside the usual keyboard/mouse combo) by adhering to the WWW Web Accessibility Guidelines, which is a shame for these guidelines aren't all that hard to implement and it's just a little bit more planning ahead, which in the end, makes it easier to deal with your site's content in the long run.

What is nice about this new smartphone is that blind people can now deal with a smartphone with their own braille reading skills and thus can operate the device in silence, instead of being read the display like other smartphones with content readers.
1. Re:Why now and not earlier? by Mike+Frett · 2013-04-22 23:40 · Score: 1
  
  There are about 39 Million completely Blind people in the World and about 30 Million Xbox Live Customers. So I guess Xbox Live is a Niche market by your way of thinking right?. =p
  What company wouldn't want to make 2 Billion extra dollars by selling these devices at $60 each?. Perspective is the name of the game.
2. Re:Why now and not earlier? by houbou · 2013-04-23 01:35 · Score: 2
  
  A braille solution only caters to blind people, a solution where you have a voice reader is usable to all.
  I'm not saying people afflicted with blindness don't deserve any consideration, I'm saying from a business perspective that smartphones took the road of PCs and included software for accessibility which reads your choices and actions.
  From a business standpoint, it makes sense.
  A braille smartphone only caters to the blind, and thus it is indeed a very small niche.
  Comparing gaming consoles to braille devices is like comparing Ham to a Hamburger. Makes very little sense.
OS by manu0601 · 2013-04-22 14:33 · Score: 1

TFA does not say what OS this is running. Anyone knows?
1. Re:OS by coolmadsi · 2013-04-22 22:42 · Score: 1
  
  TFA does not say what OS this is running. Anyone knows?
  I don't think it is running an OS at the moment, it has not been completed yet:
  "Once the prototype of the product is ready"
Shape Memory Alloy by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 15:31 · Score: 0

But can it disarm the warhead mounted on Metal Gear?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sQEOSu-hkPM#t=465s
Discrimination by shikaisi · 2013-04-22 21:52 · Score: 1

Why no Smartphone for the Deaf, you insensitive clods?!

--
No left turn unstoned.
1. Re:Discrimination by Lanforod · 2013-04-23 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  Smartphones work fine for the deaf. It's not a hardware solution in that case. What we need is adequate software for converting speech to text or sign language. Something that doesn't require human input (ie. court reporter or interpreter). Something that is voice accent, background noise, volume and connection speed independent, 99+% accurate etc. Also needs to be developed for all major languages.
  I've always thought an AI would need to be developed for this...
Jeremiah Cornelius: Grow up by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-23 12:47 · Score: 0

You're embarassing yourself Jeremiah Cornelius http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3581857&cid=43276741 since you posted that using your registered username by mistake (instead of your usual anonymous coward submissions by the 100's the past 2-3 months now on slashdot) giving away it's you spamming this forums almost constantly, just as you have in the post I just replied to.
1. Re:Jeremiah Cornelius: Grow up by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-25 05:38 · Score: 0
  
  Hello Paul.
  p.s. What do you make of this?
2. Re:Jeremiah Cornelius: Grow up by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-28 09:31 · Score: 0
  
  Forty Two Tenfold has Jeremiah Cornelius = "friend" in his account on /. = obvious he's a sockpuppet account you, Jeremiah Cornelius, use. Yes we know it's you Jeremiah Cornelius that I am replying to now, you off topic troll. Jeremiah Cornelius, you blew it with your 100's of anonymous coward trollings by accidentally submitting one of them by your registered username here Jeremiah Cornelius http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3581857&cid=43276741 and you, Jeremiah Cornelius failed badly giving yourself away troll. Doing sock puppets along with that? No big trick to the likes of you, clearly caught in the act in that link above..
smart phone for blind people by app+developers9p · 2013-04-30 22:44 · Score: 0

What is nice about this new smartphone is that blind people can now deal with a smartphone with their own braille reading skills and thus can operate the device in silence, instead of being read the display like other smartphones with content readers. this should have been come much earlier as expected .