Low-Cost Refreshable Full-Page Braille Display with High Reliability

项目摘要 PolyK Technologies，LLC SBIR I期 据估计，有3.14亿人患有视力障碍。如今，很多 信息和知识是通过从计算机、平板电脑和 智能手机。可刷新盲文显示器正在成为盲人的主流工具 获取数字信息。在可刷新的盲文显示中，盲文的上下 通过向下面的致动器发送电信号来独立地控制网点 盲文的圆点。 即使在几十年的努力之后，仍然有两个明显的限制 市场主导的可刷新盲文展示：1)商业可刷新盲文 显示仍然局限于单个文本行，不能处理图形、数学 数据(通常以列格式显示，而不是水平格式)，或大量 结构化的和动态的信息。2)这些盲文显示器是基于 压电式致动器，易碎且笨重。 在这个项目中，我们将开发一个全页盲文显示系统。它通过以下方式启用 最新的两项专利创新，即新一代高性能 具有超高致动应变的电活性聚合物组合物(开发于2021年)和 一种创新的致动器设计，极大地减少了盲文单元尺寸的80%和 简化了全页盲文显示的组装。该项目将由一名 由材料科学家、电气工程师、盲人组成的跨学科团队 企业家和盲文出版社。 拟议的全页盲文显示系统将是紧凑的(尺寸缩小80%)， 重量轻、经久耐用(基于压电聚合物致动器)、低成本(可以 卷对卷制造)。它将彻底改变盲人获取信息的方式， 尤其是对于他们当前无法访问的图形或动态数据库。会的 极大地改善盲人的教育和就业机会(一个巨大的飞跃 为盲人学习数学和科学等科目)并改善他们的生活 质量(网上冲浪、观看艺术和照片)。

Project Summary PolyK Technologies, LLC SBIR Phase I An estimated 314 million people live with vision impairment. Nowadays, much information and knowledge are obtained by reading from computers, tablets, and smartphones. Refreshable Braille display is becoming the mainstream tool for the blind to access digital information. In the refreshable Braille display, the up-and-down of Braille dots is independently controlled by sending electrical signals to the actuators underneath the Braille dots. Even after many decades of effort, there are still two apparent limitations for the market dominated refreshable Braille displays: 1) the commercial refreshable Braille displays are still limited to a single text line, which cannot process graphics, mathematic data (typically presented in a columnar format, not horizontal format), or large amounts of structured and dynamic information. 2) these Braille displays are based on piezoceramic actuators, which are fragile and ponderous. In this project, we will develop a full-page Braille display system. It is enabled by the two recent patented innovations, i.e., a new generation high performance electroactive polymer composition with ultrahigh actuation strain (developed in 2021) and an innovative actuator design which greatly reduces the Braille cell size by 80% and simplifies the assembly of a full-page Braille display. The project will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team consisting of material scientists, electrical engineer, blind entrepreneur, and braille press. The proposed full-page Braille display system will be compact (80% size reduction), lightweight and durable (based on piezoelectric polymer actuators), and low cost (can be roll-to-roll manufactured). It will revolutionize the way the blind access information, especially for graphics or dynamic database which is currently inaccessible to them. It will greatly improve the education and employment opportunities for blind people (a giant leap for blind people to learn subjects like mathematics and science) and enhance their life quality (web surfing and viewing arts and photographs).