Executive Summary : | Refreshable braille displays (RBDs) are electromechanical devices that enable people with visual impairment to access digital content through a tactile interface without having to print everything on paper. These devices empower the blind and the deaf-blind with opportunities in education and employment. The device comprises an array of Braille cells, wherein each cell represents one Braille character and houses a set of Braille dots that are controlled by individual actuators. In the current scenario, a variety of texts are now available in digitized form, which includes books, newspapers, magazines etc. But people with visual impairment have very limited means to access digital text. They rely mainly on-screen reading software, which requires engagement with yet another primary sensory organ - the ear, isolating them from their surroundings. It also provides a passive reading experience rather than an active experience where a person can easily navigate, check spelling etc. Refreshable Braille Displays (RBDs), on the other side, provide spatial aspects of the digital text and facilitate active reading. These displays become necessary in scenarios where both reading and listening are critical (classrooms, lectures and conferences). Moreover, for deaf-blind users, Braille output is the only available medium for information access and communication. Commercially available RBDs are exorbitantly priced because of the underlying piezoelectric (PZT) based actuation technology. They are in the range of 2000-6000 US$, thus having limited penetration (users) both in a developed and developing nation. Therefore, there is a need to develop inexpensive RBDs based on alternative technologies. To fulfill this objective, a novel refreshable Braille cell technology has been developed based on an alternate actuation technology using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires. The SMA-based Braille cells have been proven to attain a similar technical performance and are expected to cost one-eighth compared to the benchmark PZT-actuation based Braille cells. These modules are developed by IIT Delhi along with an industrial partner, Phoenix Medical System, with financial support from Wellcome Trust, UK. The technology developed is now suitable for large-scale manufacturing and meet all the necessary functional requirements but have some operational limitation related to actuation sound, power consumption and refresh rate. The Imprint proposal focuses on the development of improved modules with enhanced functionality like fast refresh rate, low power consumption, quiet operation, compact size etc. Further, rigorous testing of the cells will be done using automated testing tools for better reliability. The proposal also concerns translational research which includes technology transfer, design optimization for cost reduction and improving robustness. Pilot production and field testing will also be done to ensure the commercial feasibility of these modules. |