Braille Smartwatch Lets Users Feel Time, Texts And GPS Directions

It’s about time. Facebook, texting and GPS are commonplace tech that most of us use. But these apps, which help to bring many of us closer together, can be incredibly alienating for the visually impaired and blind. Small font sizes and glitch-y text-to-speak functions make keeping up with the way society communicates increasingly difficult and frustrating to those who have visual disabilities. But a South Korean company has invented a new smartwatch that promotes inclusivity and accessibility. The Dot smartwatch, which one could connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, has a touch display where rising and falling dots spell out words in Braille. This means that users can receive any text from any app or service on their smartphone and have it translated into Braille on their Dot smartwatch.   Users can also send simple messages using buttons on the side of the watch.  Other smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, have attempted to be more accessible to the visually impaired by utilizing sound to read information on the screen through a speaker, but this method often robs disabled users of privacy. The Dot was the brainchild of founder and CEO Eric Kim. He had the idea while he was attending the University of Washington and noticed a blind classmate lugging large, bulky books to class while most students were using tablets. After learning that these were Braille textbooks, he was disheartened to learn that this student couldn’t take advantage of new...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news