Georgia Tech researcher stresses it isn't meant for driving and texting though
Georgia Tech University researchers have developed a prototype iPhone and iPad app that is based on the Braille writing system and could provide a way to text without looking at your mobile device whether you are visually impaired or not.
The free open-source BrailleTouch app, which will be extended to the Android platform as well, involves using just six keys to convert smartphone and tablet touchscreens into eyes-free texting systems.
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“Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text on them,” said Mario Romero, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Interactive Computing and the project’s principal investigator, in a statement. He says the app works well for people who know how to type but not read Braille, and can also be easily picked up by those who have never typed Braille.
BrailleTouch users have been shown to be able to type up to 32 words a minute with the app, with 92% accuracy. For the visually impaired, it also does away with bulky and expensive Braille keyboard attachments. “This design allows users to hold their device with the screen facing away from them – cradling the device with their palms or pinkies and thumbs – and to type with a majority of their fingers, identical to typing Braille on a standard keyboard,” according to Georgia Tech.
Romero stressed: “This definitely does not solve texting and driving.”
Georgia Tech demonstrated BrailleTouch this month at the Abilities Expo-Atlanta 2012. This project was supported in part by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education.
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