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

本项目将开发一种适合显示整页盲文和触觉图的大面积密集阵列触觉显示装置。该设备将触觉输入和输出放在同一位置，使视障用户与移动设备上的文本和图形内容的交互与视力正常的用户的触摸屏交互一样直接和有意义。目前的盲文显示技术一次只能显示一行内容。本项目将通过开发基于微流体执行器和微流体逻辑电路的新型显示技术来解决这一问题。这项技术为在平面屏幕上创造可刷新的触觉特征和新的多用途显示器提供了巨大的希望，因为微流控衬底可以设计成透明的覆盖在视觉显示器上。在微流体技术应用于创造可编程的触觉特性之前，还存在一些技术障碍。其中一个障碍是“管道问题”，即包装密集的气泡致动器阵列，而每个致动器没有独立的通道。第二个问题是通过适当设计的表面来匹配微流体致动器与指尖皮肤的特性和灵敏度。研究小组已经对这两个问题进行了试点解决方案，并将构建分析模型，使这些解决方案能够向上和向下缩放，以呈现从个体可感知的盲点到可感知的连续线条，曲线和触觉形式的各种特征。显示技术的设计将受到一系列用户评估的指导和指导，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目前学术界和工业界正在开发的替代辅助技术进行比较。合作团队是唯一有资格开发微流体技术，特别是为盲文显示。Mark Burns将进一步开发微流体逻辑电路和移位寄存器，以单独解决盲文引脚执行器。Brent Gillespie将优化执行器和盲点的机制，使它们适应皮肤的机制和主动引导触摸。O'Modhrain将发展表面触觉科学，指导微流控技术与盲文人机交互应用的匹配。更广泛的影响：该项目将开发一种全页电子盲文设备，提高全世界盲人的盲文读写能力。同时，该项目将解决阻碍微流控技术在触摸屏形状显示和表面触觉方面应用的最紧迫问题。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，因为它将对触屏设备的基本可能性产生深远的影响。该项目将招募盲人、未被充分代表的少数民族、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.