Providing Greater Accessibility to Written Information for the Visually Impaired
PURPOSE
The purpose of this project is to create a device that converts printed text to braille with the aim of assisting visually impaired individuals in gaining access to information which was previously unavailable to them. The device may additionally be used with the intent of educating individuals in their journey of learning Braille, for entertainment, or as a means with connecting with the rest of the world.
SOLUTION
Our solution consists of capturing an image using a camera and performing real-time processing through Optical Character Recognition, utilizing a Raspberry Pi. The text contained within the captured image is then translated to Braille code on an Arduino microcontroller, and is subsequently used as an output. This is presented to the user through a refreshable Braille display, which operates using servo motors.
PERFORMANCE
The product aims to give access to printed text for visually impaired individuals. The device should be able to capture an image of a piece of printed text (not handwritten) and subsequently, after processing the input in realtime, produce an output, which will be presented to the user through a refreshable Braille display. The product should be designed in such a way that the user will be able to operate it making use of the different features without much effort or assistance from another person. This involves making the layout and operation of the product as simplistic as possible while maintaining all features. The product must also be capable of completing this entire process in a concise time frame for practicality of use. The output must also be refreshed as dictated by the user through some method of user control, since different users may be able to read Braille at different rates.
Textaille - The Device
The Pins
The Motors
Working Prototype
Top Level Design
The block diagram depicts the entire operation of the device. The user initially interacts with the device through the input interface, instructing to take a picture of the text, which is then captured using the camera. The picture of text is then processed on the Raspberry Pi using OCR, Optical Character Recognition. The resulting text is used as the input of the Braille Display. This includes an Arduino, which, by controlling some motors, allows the user to interact with the output interface, the Braille display.