Super Braille Keyboard

Overview

There are 285 million visually impaired people worldwide who are struggling to adapt to touchscreen technology. Devices such as tablets, smartphones and touchscreen computers have become the norm and are now rampant in day-to-day life, forcing those who are handicapped to learn to adapt by any means possible. The problems that then arise are profound and innumerable. To begin, in order to use most devices in our technological era, the user must be able to see and type on the touchscreen itself in order to accomplish simple tasks such as sending a text, writing an e mail, or using a search engine. This is where many Braille typists are challenged. Their traditional Braille keyboard does not support typing directly onto their touchscreen devices. Physically, typical Braille keyboards are heavy and bulky and inconvenient for travel, leaving them at risk for break and damage. Financially as well, a Braille keyboard can cost up to ten thousand dollars. This is where the technological industry is severely lacking, leaving 285 million people in the dark, and providing little to no solutions that can aid them in adjusting.

The Technology
This is where the Inpris team, has stepped up to meet that challenge! Together, we've created technology that enables Braille typists to use their smart devices in the most conventional means possible. With the help of our unique Ergonomic Motion Detection© technology, a typical Braille typist can now seamlessly type Braille by the simple method of touch. This is accomplished through an easy download of Inpris’s Super Braille Keyboard application available on all Android devices. Together, we've eliminated the need for large external, expensive equipment and offer an invisible, ergonomic solution that everyone and anyone can use.

The Super Braille Keyboard is the most advanced keyboard of its kind. What allows it to be so exceptional is it’s implementation of Ergonomic Motion Detection© technology. EMD© provides invisible, cutting-edge motion detection as well as an easy to use interface. It's ability to process multi-gesture based commands, makes the Super Braille Keyboard a pioneer application. In order to type, the user simply uses their fingertips, typing Braille as they normally would. By selecting the text input field they wish to use, red circles called “Hot Zones” will appear under each individual fingertip of the user. These “Hot Zones” are continuously calibrating the keyboard to the user’s fingertips according to the user’s on-screen movements. Now a Braille typist never has to worry about finding their place or making typing errors ever again.

Virtual Tutor/ Help Line
What else makes the Super Braille Keyboard a pioneer application is the software’s potential as an educational tool. According to a 2007 Annual Report from the American Printing House for the Blind only 10% of school aged children use Braille as their primary reading medium, with school budget constraints and technology advancement cited as the top causes for this. By accessing the Help Line, a user can instantly get help on how to type a certain letter or symbol. Our Voice Help feature instructs users the correct finger combinations in order to type their desired letter by voicing back the correct way to execute it. With the help of the Super Braille Keyboard as an educational vehicle, schools can now affordably implement Braille education into their curriculum for children who would otherwise have little to no access to proper educational resources, and effectively lower the numbers of Braille illiteracy.

The Super Braille Keyboard has now opened doors for those who would otherwise have little to no accessibility to touchscreen technology. As a Braille typist using the Super Braille Keyboard, you’ll now be able to use your tablet, computer or smartphone device effortlessly. We believe that this innovative technology can change the day-to-day life of millions of Braille typists around the world.

Feedback

"The application works great with my phone. Everytime I calibrate the keyboard, the Hot Zones are exactly where they're supposed to be. Thanks to this app I can finally do quick status updates on all of my social networks, text my friends as fast as they do while looking at their screens and even take part in Instant Messaging conversations. Searching for information on the Internet works like a breeze too. I think Braille is one of the fastest methods for blind people to type on touch-screen-based devices."
- Paweł Masarczyk

Note: In the video 0:57 - 1:24, the Inpris UpSense Keyboard is shown. Built using EMD© technology as well, it allows for non-braille typing for visually impaired and sighted users.

Built With

• eclipse