Salient features

1. Speech assist. The device speaks each character before changing the pattern in the Braille cell. This helps extensively in self-learning and reduces the effort of the Braille teacher.

2. Handy remote control. Userindependent learning, designed for single hand and thumb operation.

3. Minimum buttons. All of which can be reached out by the left- or right-hand thumb, thus doing away with awkward grappling with the remote.

4. Memory included. A 2GB memory card has been included to assimilate the data of at least twelve languages.

The device was designed and fabricated in Mysore using locally available components. Keeping Indian conditions in mind, it is provided with rough industrial-grade enclosures for ruggedness.

The remote unit assists the child in picking up Braille quickly. It has seven buttons, viz, quizLlearn, first, last, previous, next, language and answer. The features are so simple that it takes only a few minutes of orientation by the teacher for the student to learn its working perfectly.

Evolution

TKe fiUVW SURWRWySe wDV PDGe neDUOy three years ago. It had an U-bit Atmel AVR (ATmegaP2) controller inside. The device had captive beads with just one Braille cell and produced simple beeps in the speaker. When Setty presented it to the local school for the visually impaired, the teachers and students at WKe VFKRRO WRRN WR WKe FRnFeSW OiNe fiVK to water but wanted to add speech capability to the device. That is how the device got that particular feature.

The second prototype was built with speech capability as a technology demonstrator. “Our company developed the speech playback software from a controller’s flash memory, through a speaker which was integrated by junior engineers into the second prototype they had built,” shares Setty.

“We developed the third prototype in-house and addressed the memory problem. We put a 2GB Sa card inside