“Would you assemble an IKEA shelf with your eyes closed?” For Martin, “there’s no question about it,” especially with the Tactonom Reader in his toolbox.
Named after the words “tactile” and “autonomous,” Inventivio’s Tactonom Reader combines braille, tactile graphics and digital speech explanation in order for blind people like Martin to learn independently.
Through printing products, a graphic database and partnerships with ProBlind and the European Union, Inventivio is able to provide tactile graphics that the Tactonom Reader explains with audio information when users touch them. Users can even create their own custom graphics and translate them in up to 25 languages through AI.
To build his IKEA shelf, Martin was able to create a graphic with embossed shapes that physically resemble pieces such as screws, wooden dowels, etc.
Each graphic contains a QR code, which the device scans with its camera and reads aloud. Different information is delivered depending on where the user places their fingers. For example, on a tactile map of the United States, the Reader will follow the user’s finger across the map and emit a clicking noise to guide them to a specific location, clicking faster as they grow closer. For another example, on a 3D model of a cathedral, users will hear bells ring out when they put their finger on the position of the building’s bell tower.
For more information about the Tactonom Reader and the database of tactile graphics Inventivio is developing, please visit this page.