When many people think about public uses of braille, they picture those bumpy dots on bathroom door signs or below elevator buttons. The Lafayette-based company, Tactile Engineering, created a new public display of braille in use. This past May, blind race fans were able to enjoy the Indianapolis 500 via the Cadence Tactile Tablet, which allowed them to feel the movement of the cars beneath their fingers in real time.
“Literally, as the car comes around a curve on the track, you’ll be feeling it go around the curve on the Cadence,” said Tactile Engineering CEO David Schleppenbach.
The tablet links via Bluetooth to a computer or mobile device and translates live video footage into braille dots, so users can feel moving images. In fact, it is the first tactile device able to display tactile graphics that move and change beneath the user’s fingers.
Tactile Engineering is extending its reach far beyond the racetrack. The company is currently working on translating other live sports events. (Last year, it converted broadcast data into tactile graphics for its first Major League Baseball game.)
The Cadence is also used for educational purposes, allowing students to access classroom reading material and interact with such visuals as maps and mathematical graphs.
For more information about the Cadence, visit this page or check out our Monday Tech Tip video.
Indy 500-related Cadence images from this video courtesy of Inside Indiana Business.
