Thursday, 24 March 2016

New ways of conceiving the ebook

I recently came across an article about a research project at the University of Michigan where they are developing a very different kind of e-book, specifically an e-reader that supports refreshable braille. Apparently this kind of technology (refreshable braille) already exits, but is super expensive and can generally only support one line of text at a time. 

Researchers at the University of Michigan are developing a refreshable device which, when available, would be capable of displaying pages of the raised bumps, which can be read by touch. The 'Braille Kindle' (artist's impression illustrated) could make reading text and working with graphs easier for millions
Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3399018/Braille-Kindle-developed-blind-Tactile-tablet-allow-people-feel-images-text-screen.html

 I thought this project was interesting for two reasons. First because it makes us think about accessibility in new ways, specifically about what we consider "advances" in technology and how they can help or hinder those with different accessibility needs. Second, this project puts a focus back on the tactility of reading, and how the physicality of books, especially for those with vision impairment, is a necessary component of reading.

 You can read more about this project and watch some videos of the device at work here

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1 comment:

  1. Ashley Dunk29 March 2016 at 09:03

    Hi Abigail! I really, really like this example1 I had never heard of, or even conceived of e-books that are available in Braille. Honestly, I never would have thought it would be possible. Even with the limitations and the exspense, I think that the development and (perhaps) later consumer sales of this product would help balance some of the challenges that come with traditional Braille books, such as the deterioration of dots over time.

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