NIST develops refreshable tactile graphic display technology. (General Developments).In cooperation with the National Federation of the Blind The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and most likely largest national organization to be led by blind people. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland. , NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC, www.nist.gov) The standards-defining agency of the U.S. government, formerly the National Bureau of Standards. It is one of three agencies that fall under the Technology Administration (www.technology. has developed a new refreshable tactile graphic Tactile graphics are images that use raised surfaces so that a visually impaired person can feel them. They are used to convey non-textual information such as maps, paintings, graphs and diagrams. Tactile graphics can be seen as a subset of accessible images. technology that allows blind and visually impaired users to view images using the sense of touch. Unlike current devices that make a permanent record on plastic sheets or heavy-duty paper, the NIST device has a reusable surface made up of thousands of rounded pins that can display a succession of images without the cost and disposal problems of printouts. This capability is highly important to users who need to view a large number of images or who need to be able to modify images. Future applications will include science, engineering, mathematics, education, and design (both technical and artistic) as well as the ability to view Web graphics. By using a passive pin locking mechanism, it is believed that this technology will make tactile tactile /tac·tile/ (tak´til) pertaining to touch. tac·tile adj. 1. Perceptible to the sense of touch; tangible. 2. Used for feeling. 3. displays possible initially in the range of $2000 to $3000, a factor of up to 20 less expensive than performing a similar function using conventional piezoelectric The property of certain crystals that causes them to produce voltage when a mechanical pressure is applied to them such as sound vibrations. This technique is used to build crystal microphones, phonograph cartridges and strain gauges, all of which turn mechanical movement into voltage. technology. NIST has filed patents for the new technology and is in discussion with manufacturers to add the technology to their product lines. The website is http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/isis/projects/brailleproject.html. CONTACT: John Roberts, (301) 975-5683; john. roberts@nist.gov. |
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