HCC: Small: The Development and Evaluation of a Full-Page Refreshable Braille Display

这项计划会发展一种大面积密集排列的触觉显示器，适合显示整页的盲文字符和触觉图表。 该设备将共同定位触觉输入和输出，并将使与移动的设备上的文本和图形内容的交互对于视力受损的用户来说是直接和有意义的，就像触摸屏交互对于视力正常的用户一样。 目前的盲文显示技术一次只能呈现一行内容。 本项目将通过开发基于微流体致动器和微流体逻辑电路的新显示技术来解决这个问题。 这项技术为在平面屏幕上创建可刷新的触觉功能和新的多用途显示器带来了巨大的希望，因为微流体基底可以被设计为视觉显示器的透明覆盖层。 在微流体技术用于创建可编程触觉功能之前，只剩下一些技术障碍。 这些障碍之一是“管道问题”，包装的气泡致动器没有一个独立的通道专用于每个致动器的密集阵列。 第二个问题涉及通过适当设计的表面将微流体致动器与指尖皮肤的特性和灵敏度相匹配。 研究小组已经对这两个问题的解决方案进行了试点，并将构建分析模型，使这些解决方案能够上下缩放，以呈现各种特征，从单独可感知的盲文点到感知连续的线条，曲线和触觉形式。 显示技术的设计将受到一系列用户评估的指导和通知，这些评估将推动表面触觉科学的发展，同时将这种微流体方法与学术界和工业界目前正在开发的替代辅助技术进行比较。 该合作团队是唯一有资格开发专门用于盲文显示的微流体技术的团队。 Mark Burns将进一步开发微流控逻辑电路和移位寄存器，以单独解决盲文引脚致动器。 布伦特吉莱斯皮将优化致动器和盲文点的力学，并使其适应皮肤的力学和主动引导触摸。 思乐·奥莫德雷恩将发展表面触觉科学，通过盲文指导微流体技术与人机交互应用的匹配。 更广泛的影响：该项目将开发一个全页电子盲文装置，提高全世界盲人的盲文识字率。 同时，该项目将解决阻碍微流体在触摸屏上的形状显示和表面触觉应用的最紧迫问题。 大面积触觉显示器的可用性将为广泛的科学探索开辟可能性，也将产生巨大的商业影响，因为它将对触摸屏设备的根本可能性产生深远的影响。 该项目将招募盲人、代表性不足的少数民族、妇女和本科研究人员。

This project will develop a large-area dense-array tactile display device suitable for displaying a full-page of braille characters and tactile diagrams. This device will co-locate tactile input and output and will make interaction with text and graphic content on mobile devices as direct and meaningful for visually impaired users as touchscreen interaction is for sighted users. Current braille display technology can only render a single line of content at a time. This project will address this problem by developing new display technology based on microfluidic actuators and microfluidic logic circuits. This technology holds tremendous promise for creating refreshable tactile features on a flat screen, and for new multipurpose displays because the microfluidic substrate can be designed as a transparent overlay to a visual display. There are just a few technological barriers remaining until microfluidics is practical for creating programmable haptic features. One of these barriers is the "piping problem", packing a dense array of bubble actuators without an independent channel dedicated to each actuator. A second problem involves matching the microfluidic actuators to the properties and sensitivity of the fingertip skin through an appropriately engineered surface. The research team has piloted solutions to both of these problems and will construct analytical models that will enable these solutions to be scaled, both up and down, for rendering a variety of features from individually perceivable braille dots to perceptually continuous lines, curves and tactile forms. The design of the display technology will be guided and informed by a series of user evaluations that will advance the science of surface haptics while at the same time comparing this microfluidic approach to alternative assistive technologies currently under development in academia and industry. The collaborative team is uniquely qualified to develop microfluidics technology specifically for a braille display. Mark Burns will further develop microfluidic logic circuits and shift registers to individually address braille pin actuators. Brent Gillespie will optimize the mechanics of the actuators and braille dots and adapt them to the mechanics of the skin and actively guided touch. Sile O'Modhrain will develop the science of surface haptics to guide the match between microfluidic technology and application in human-computer interaction through braille. Broader Impacts: The project will develop a full-page electronic braille device that will increase braille literacy among blind persons worldwide. At the same time, the project will solve the most pressing problems blocking the application of microfluidics in shape display and surface haptics on touchscreens. The availability of a large-area tactile display would open up the possibility for a wide range of scientific exploration and would also have a huge commercial impact because it would have a profound impact on what is fundamentally possible with touchscreen devices. The project will recruit and engage blind persons, under-represented minorities, women, and undergraduate researchers.