Latest News- ItactI

Technical Progress

"First Touch" of a single line ItactI display by a Braille user happened at a consortium meeting in Italy on 7 February 2004. Penny, a Braille user who has been registered blind since birth, described the feel of the display as "beautiful, it feels like a good quality sheet of printed Braille, not a mechanical display that I am used to."
Software allowing the representation of simple graphics and Braille phrases is at very early stages. Integration with third party software is also being investigated with major software companies. Consortium members were encouraged by the feedback from the testing in Italy. Fluid and software issues still need addressing but confidence is high from the technical team that these can be overcome with further development.

"The initial concept of using Electro-rheological fluid to drive Braille pins is very close to being proven," says Alex Smith, Technical Director of Smart Technology.
"More challenges lie ahead with the full array, but we are confident we have the experience from developing the single line device to cope with any problems that arise." Major modification and development of both fluid and controlling software are being undertaken, leading to the testing phase scheduled for Autumn/Winter 2004.

In June the consortium applied for and received approval from the EU to continue the project beyond the original finish date to allow further development with the full array. Jeff Knight, project Leader, commented "Some incredible science has been undertaken to get us to this stage and we are delighted the Commission recognises this and have extended the project."
A single line display has been tested with a limited number of experienced Braille users. All were able to read Braille phrases and recognise simple patterns. Following initial feedback full testing will be carried out after further alterations to the fluid and control software have been finalised.

Next Milestones

The next project milestone is to reliably operate a full size array. We are awaiting delivery of components to allow final assembly of the first demonstration array.
Further work is progressing on "Tawis" software interface and other third party software interfaces.

Events

Members of the ItactI consortium will be present at the following events throughout Europe:

Page Last Updated: 20 October 2004

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