WORLD
India creates first ever smartphone for the blind
Baku, April 24 (AZERTAC). For the first time ever, a team of researchers in India have created a Smartphone prototype for the visually impaired people. It took about three years for the innovators to create this masterpiece which converts all the texts into the Braille patterns. This new invention would enable and help the blind people to read SMSes and even emails on the phone, reports Times of India.
Sumit Dagar, innovator of this first of its kind Smartphone was very pleased with its success has told, “We have created the world`s first Braille smartphone, this product is based on an innovative “touch screen” which is capable of elevating and depressing the contents it receives to transform them into “touchable patterns.” He also added, "The response during the test has been immense. It comes out as a companion more than a phone to the user. We plan to do more advanced versions of the phone in the future."
The phone`s screen has a grid of pins, which move up and down as per requirement, and the grid has a Braille display, where pins come up to represent a character or letter. The screen itself is capable of elevating and depressing the contents to form patterns in Braille.
It`s interesting how as of date, no other major manufacturers have attempted to make a smartphone for the blind, or even smartphones for the challenged or disabled. Could it because there is a lack of demand, or would advertising and marketing be a strain for the companies involved? If companies such as Samsung can design, develop, and implement eye scrolling technology for their mobile devices, how come they have not attempted the Braille conversion technology themselves?
Regardless, I personally feel once the prototype, which is currently being developed in conjunction with The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), is finalized and reviewed, there will in fact be somewhat of a demand for this smartphone.
The market potential is endless, as there is no other device similar at the moment. Furthermore, by targeting this niche group of consumers who so far have been ignored, it`s just another way of bridging the gap between technology and society.