The Haptic Reader: The Scanner for the Blind
August 5, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Lifestyle
Even those who aren’t blind can appreciate the benefits of the Haptic Reader (HR). It’s basically a flat tablet users can plant on book pages to scan. The reader converts the scanned text into Braille, raising the surface of the opposite side for blind readers to touch-read. The gadget was designed “by researchers at Handong Global University and Keimyung University, both in South Korea,” and can convert the scanned text into voice as well. I’m assuming the HR should be able to save scanned pages?
Too bad the Haptic Reader isn’t available on the market yet, being a design concept and …read more
Flatbed Scanner Plays Imperial March
April 5, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio
Crank up your volume a bit, so you can hear what’s going on here:
So what do you think of the above? Personally, I don’t think the scanner actually played the Imperial March from Star Wars. My “proof”? Watch the beginning of the sequence again: the scanner moves consistently, yet the “note” changes to accommodate the melody.
Although I do think some modding was done to make the scanner assembly follow a routine. And the planning and hard work that made that necessary—even though ultimately useless—deserves some credit.
(PS: If you’re wondering what the Imperial March is, let me first pity you, then …read more
