Color Embossers for Digital Pen Access to Graphical Information

用于数字笔访问图形信息的彩色浮雕机

• 批准号: 7609581
• 负责人: JOHN A GARDNER
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: VIEWPLUS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-12-01 至 2009-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7609581
• 关键词: Blindness; Calibration; Child; Color; Communication; Communities; Complex; Computer software; Computers; Data; Databases; Development; Devices; Dyslexia; Education; Elderly; Elements; Equation; Equipment; Future; Generations; Goals; Government; Hand; Head; Hearing; Image; Improve Access; Information Systems; Ink; Institution; Instruction; Lead; Left; Letters; Libraries; Licensing; Literature; Manufacturer Name; Maps; Marketing; Mental Health; Methods; Minor; Mission; Modification; National Eye Institute; Output; Pamphlets; Paper; Pattern; Phase; Positioning Attribute; Preparation; Printing; Process; Quality of life; Reading; Research; Research Project Grants; Resolution; Sales; Side; Solutions; Speed; Staging; Structure; System; Tactile; Technology; Testing; Text; Tigers; Touch sensation; Visually Impaired Persons; blind; braille; design; digital; feeding; flexibility; improved; interest; medical specialties; meetings; new technology; print disabilities; prototype; public health relevance; sight for the blind; skills; software development; tool; touchpad; user-friendly; vector

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The specific aim of this project is to develop a prototype "color embosser" capable of making tactile graphics readable with a digital pen. The digital pen from partner company, Livescribe, reads patterns of tiny, nearly invisible dots printed (along with a color image if desired) on a page. It speaks information corresponding to text or graphical elements at the point touched. This new technology can provide a very user friendly way for graphical information to be accessible to people with print disabilities, including small blind children and many computer-phobic senior citizens. The long range goal of this project is to develop and commercialize this user-friendly access method. Audio/touch methods are known to provide excellent access to graphical information by people who are blind, severely dyslexic, or have severe print disabilities. Preparing Audio/touch materials was very expensive until ViewPlus introduced the IVEO(R) Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) Authoring/conversion software in 2005. IVEO permits virtually any graphical information to be created or converted/imported easily to a well-structured highly accessible SVG format. Tactile graphics copy was also difficult to obtain before 2000 when ViewPlus introduced the Tiger embossing Windows printers that "print" by embossing. The new ViewPlus Emprint printer/embossers emboss and also print color images, creating color tactile images particularly useful for people with dyslexia and a number of other print disabilities. The proposed new color embossers could make similar materials that are larger and capable of being read by the Livescribe pen. At present, a computer and touchpad are needed to read IVEO materials. Touchpads are large, expensive, and need frequent calibration. Reading an otherwise identical tactile graphic with a Livescribe pen would require no computer or touchpad. The tactile graphic would be easy to read in audio and could be read anywhere, a very useful feature for pedestrian maps, how-to instructions, etc. The new technology can provide a practical way for companies, government, educational institutions, and agencies to distribute accessible graphical information. Preparation is simple and inexpensive, so tactile graphic information could be sent to end users who have Livescribe pens or who can use them in classrooms, libraries, senior centers, etc. This project could be the key to bringing accessible graphics to a wide cross section of blind and severely print-impaired people. It is clearly of interest to NEI whose mission statement includes mental health and quality of life of blind people. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposal is relevant to the mission of the National Eye Institute, because it could lead to greatly improved educational and professional opportunities for blind people by making much graphical information available in more accessible form. It is already easy to create or convert graphical information to universally usable form with the ViewPlus IVEO technology. This project would make the information easier to distribute and easier to read. Greatly improved access to graphical information would clearly improve mental health and quality of life for blind people - which are included in the mission of the National Eye Institute.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的具体目标是开发一个原型“彩色打印机”，能够使触觉图形可读的数字笔。来自合作伙伴公司Livescribe的数字笔可以读取打印在页面上的微小的、几乎看不见的点的图案（如果需要的话，还可以沿着彩色图像）。它在触摸点处说出对应于文本或图形元素的信息。这项新技术可以提供一个非常用户友好的方式，使图形信息可以访问打印残疾人，包括小盲童和许多计算机恐惧症的老年人。该项目的长期目标是开发和商业化这种用户友好的访问方法。已知音频/触摸方法为盲人、严重的睡眠障碍或具有严重的打印障碍的人提供对图形信息的极好访问。准备音频/触摸材料是非常昂贵的，直到ViewPlus在2005年推出了IVEO（R）可缩放矢量图形（SVG）创作/转换软件。IVEO允许几乎任何图形信息被创建或转换/导入到一个结构良好的高度可访问的SVG格式。触觉图形副本也很难获得之前，2000年，当ViewPlus推出老虎压花Windows打印机，“打印”的压花。新的ViewPlus Emprint打印机/打印机可以打印彩色图像，创建彩色触觉图像，对阅读障碍和其他一些打印障碍的人特别有用。拟议中的新的彩色打印机可以使类似的材料，更大，能够被阅读的Livescribe笔。目前，阅读IVEO材料需要电脑和触摸板。触摸板很大，价格昂贵，需要经常校准。阅读一个其他相同的触觉图形与Livescribe笔将不需要电脑或触摸板。触觉图形将很容易在音频中阅读，并且可以在任何地方阅读，这是一个非常有用的功能，用于行人地图，操作说明等新技术可以为公司，政府，教育机构和机构提供实用的方式来分发可访问的图形信息。准备是简单和廉价的，所以触觉图形信息可以发送给最终用户谁拥有Livescribe笔或谁可以使用它们在教室，图书馆，高级中心等该项目可能是关键，使无障碍图形广泛的横截面的盲人和严重的打印受损的人。这显然是NEI感兴趣的，其使命声明包括盲人的心理健康和生活质量。公共卫生相关性：这项建议与国家眼科研究所的使命有关，因为它可以通过以更容易获得的形式提供更多的图形信息，大大改善盲人的教育和职业机会。使用ViewPlus IVEO技术可以轻松创建图形信息或将其转换为通用形式。这一项目将使信息更易于分发和阅读。大大改善对图形信息的访问将明显改善盲人的心理健康和生活质量--这包括在国家眼科研究所的使命中。