Attention Makers

CATEGORY: EDUCATION

BRAPTER - A Compact Braille Transput Communicator

MAKERS: Abhiram , Keerthan , Shubhom , Swathi COUNTRY: India

Existing technology cannot reach the visually impaired people due to it's complexity and unaffordability. Hence, BRAPTER aims at providing simple, cheap and portable printer and e-notepad.

 

The Purpose

The project mainly aims at providing a user-friendly, affordable and portable Braille printer and Braille e-notepad. Braille printer is a uniquely designed embosser which prints the Braille code in a simple way. It can be operated by visually impaired people themselves. Thus, emphasizing on their independency. The printer has scaled down the cost drastically, making it affordable(?3500/ $50). It is also portable (size of 2 laptops stacked). Braille e-notepad is a handy device which stores the Braille data typed on it in a SD card. It fits onto a palm, making it portable. It provides a quicker way of storing text.

The Technology

Braille e-notepad uses hex-keypad to take in the Braille text and microcontroller translates it to English text and stores the same in the SD card. Audio assist is given to keep a track of data entered. Braille printer has integrated the concept of 3-Dimensional printing with the conventional Braille printing technique. Three motors have been used for 3-Dimension relative motion between the stylus and the paper, which are controlled by a microcontroller . The data to print will be obtained from a SD card. The project aims to simplify the design to the extent possible and this was considered one of the best.

Additional Details

Characteristics of existing technology: 1. Highly expensive (around ?60,00,000) 2. Complex interfacing i.e., difficult to use. 3. Bulky and stationary. 4. Need for expertized operator (dependency). 5. High power consumption. 6. No device to directly store the data electronically. 7. Small scale data storage is done by manual punching. Characteristics of BRAPTER: 1. Very inexpensive (?4,000 compared to ?60,00,000) 2. Simple interfacing for visually impaired people. 3. Light in weight, small and hence portable. 4. Self-operated by visually impaired people. 5. Low power consumption. 6. Easy to store a data electronically (in SD card as this is a prototype). 7. Data of any length can be conveniently stored in SD card.

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