Developers at Georgia Tech have developed an app that could help blind people using touchscreen smartphones send text messages, based on the Braille writing system.
The app, which will be developed for Android and iOS devices, is said to be up to six times faster than current options for sending messages for the visually impaired.
The app is expected to be released in the next few weeks, and is controlled using six fingers. Users don't need to move their hands to use the app, a crucial advantage over current offerings.
“Users who know how to type Braille well never move their hands,” said Mario Romero, researcher on the Brailletouch project. “When users hold the phone they hold the phone with the screen facing away from them in landscape mode. They wrap their index, middle and ring finger in each hand around the phone. It is not like the QWERTY keyboard where you move up and down. That is why this thing works – we can get away with only six keys.”
The intuitive app lets users enter up to 32 words per minute, with spaces and backspaces being entered by flicking the phone to the right or left.
The Brailletouch app is being touted as an 'out-of-the-box' solution, that will have users up and running within minutes.
The app is also being touted as an option for fully sighted people, who can use the app to compose a message when occupied with something else.
The app will be free on launch, and open source, allowing other technology companies to incorporate the technology into their equipment.
