Taken from Global Accessibility News.
BEIJING: Chinese scientists have developed and tested a prototype electronic notebook for people who are blind that is designed to be cheap to manufacture.
The e-notebook, called B-Notes, allows people to take notes or memos using Braille or by recording speech. It is similar in size to a mobile phone. B-Notes makes use of technologies developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Computing Technology (ICT), including translation software. Prototype e-notebooks were trialed on ten people with vision disabilities last month (5 January). Wang Xiangdong, technical leader of the ICT team that developed the device, says that Braille can be conveniently input using a panel on the e-notebook.
“And when [B-Notes is] connected to a computer, the Braille-Chinese translation software can be used to convert Braille into Chinese characters automatically,”
he says. Currently, there are almost 39 million blind people in the world, according to the WHO. And according to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, there
are more than 12 million people with vision disabilities in China. Wang tells hat the basic technological research for the e-notebooks has been completed and they are expected to be available in China later this year at
a cost of 500 to 800 renminbi (around US$80 to $130). The e-notebook has three main features. First is the Braille input. The e-notebook’s input panel has an array of mini keys that allows users to type.
Second is the intelligent translation system, which is up to 95 per cent accurate. When the e-notebook is connected to a computer, pre-installed software
moves all Braille in the device over to the computer and translates it into Chinese characters.
Third, the e-notebook has a voice interface. There are voice prompts to guide users through the device’s various operations. Currently, the notebook can only translate Chinese Braille to Chinese characters. But Wang says that if other countries express an interest in the device,
it will be possible to produce e-notebooks that translate other versions of Braille into other languages. The blind people who tested the prototype notebooks told developers that they found them portable and easy to use.
A spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, which is sponsoring the e-notebook’s development, says the notebooks
could support people who are blind or low vision in their everyday working and living. Source: Scidev
And Global Accessibility News.
BEIJING: Chinese scientists have developed and tested a prototype electronic notebook for people who are blind that is designed to be cheap to manufacture.
The e-notebook, called B-Notes, allows people to take notes or memos using Braille or by recording speech. It is similar in size to a mobile phone. B-Notes makes use of technologies developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Computing Technology (ICT), including translation software. Prototype e-notebooks were trialed on ten people with vision disabilities last month (5 January). Wang Xiangdong, technical leader of the ICT team that developed the device, says that Braille can be conveniently input using a panel on the e-notebook.
“And when [B-Notes is] connected to a computer, the Braille-Chinese translation software can be used to convert Braille into Chinese characters automatically,”
he says. Currently, there are almost 39 million blind people in the world, according to the WHO. And according to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, there
are more than 12 million people with vision disabilities in China. Wang tells hat the basic technological research for the e-notebooks has been completed and they are expected to be available in China later this year at
a cost of 500 to 800 renminbi (around US$80 to $130). The e-notebook has three main features. First is the Braille input. The e-notebook’s input panel has an array of mini keys that allows users to type.
Second is the intelligent translation system, which is up to 95 per cent accurate. When the e-notebook is connected to a computer, pre-installed software
moves all Braille in the device over to the computer and translates it into Chinese characters.
Third, the e-notebook has a voice interface. There are voice prompts to guide users through the device’s various operations. Currently, the notebook can only translate Chinese Braille to Chinese characters. But Wang says that if other countries express an interest in the device,
it will be possible to produce e-notebooks that translate other versions of Braille into other languages. The blind people who tested the prototype notebooks told developers that they found them portable and easy to use.
A spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, which is sponsoring the e-notebook’s development, says the notebooks
could support people who are blind or low vision in their everyday working and living. Source: Scidev
And Global Accessibility News.
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