SBIR Phase I: A Wearable, Independent, Braille-Assistive Learning Device

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The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in creating an independent. assistive Braille learning device for blind people. The ability to read Braille is highly correlated with improved independence and quality of life. An estimated 70% of the blind are unemployed yet, of that subpopulation that is Braille literate, only 10% are unemployed. There is a Braille literacy crisis - only 8.5% of the blind population in the US can read Braille today, compared to 50% in the 1960s. There are several factors theorized to contribute to increasing Braille illiteracy including: 1) a shortage of teachers qualified to teach Braille, 2) negative outlooks on the difficulty and cost of Braille learning, and 3) and difficulties integrating blind students into mainstream schools that don’t have the specialized resources for this population. The results of this project will assist students of all ages in learning how to read Braille, including secondary Braille learners who become blind later in life. Aiming at inhibiting the Braille literacy crisis, the technology enables the blind to be given the same opportunities as their sighted peers, including better chances at graduating from high school and college, obtaining employment, and having high independence levels.The intellectual merit of this project is in development of a wearable, computer vision-based, real-time Braille-to-speech learning device. While the primary mission of the project is to unlock the full potential of blind individuals through Braille literacy, the overall goal for the technology is to unlock the full potential of human touch with computer-assisted augmentation cues in response to intricate textural patterns. The proposed technology will detect such patterns in a contactless approach, preserving the integrity of the material, and provide auditory feedback in real-time to allow for mechanosensory-augmented feedback. This project focuses on establishing the technical feasibility of such an approach by: 1) determining if the device and interpreting algorithms can be made robust to environmental and user postural variations, 2) developing capabilities to perform well on textured and/or patterned surfaces, and 3) conducting usability testing to identify areas of the user experience that must be enhanced in the future to be viable in the market with two vital stakeholders - Braille tutors and Braille students. These goals, if completed successfully, will not only impact Braille learners but also open up other market applications for this technology such as manufacturing and medicine.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.