National Science Foundation Awards Grant To Zone24x7 And SRI International To Advance Tactile Devices For The Visually Impaired
Zone24x7 and SRI International have received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to determine the technical feasibility of incorporating SRI's electroactive polymer artificial muscle (EPAM™) technology into a low-cost, mobile device that improves access to text documents, graphs, maps, and the Internet by producing high definition tactile images for the visually impaired. EPAM, a smart material technology developed at SRI, has unique vibrotactile properties.
"SRI is excited to create products that can improve the quality of life for the visually impaired," said Harsha Prahlad, Ph.D., senior mechanical engineer at SRI. "Such products would offer easier access to information and could significantly enhance educational and vocational opportunities."
The project will include the development of a prototype device that will be a simplified, scaled-down version of the Optacon, an electromechanical device developed more than 40 years ago. The Optacon enables people who are visually impaired to read printed materials that have not been transcribed into Braille. The device uses a camera and a tactile screen to create vibratory images of print on a page that can be felt by fingertip.
As the project's prime contractor, Zone24x7, with help from the SRI team, will study how EPAM can be incorporated into products for the visually impaired. Zone24x7 will consult with Dr. James C. Bliss, a key member of the original Optacon development team, on product related issues.
"Incorporating SRI's EPAM technology could make owning tactile based products considerably more affordable," said Llavan Fernando, CEO of Zone24x7. "For over 20 years, the actuator technology of tactile devices has been piezo ceramics, which is complex and expensive to implement. EPAM is considerably simpler to integrate and could be manufactured at significant lower cost. Besides products for the visually impaired, I foresee applications in other markets such as secure transaction terminals."
Source: SRI International
