I’m building Tactis, a low-cost, refreshable braille interface designed to make digital information accessible without the $2k–$5k price barrier of existing displays.
Problem:
Braille displays are expensive, fragile, and limited in capability.
Screen readers alone don’t work for literacy, math, or structured technical content.
Most visually impaired users are forced into audio-only workflows.
What this is:
A compact refreshable braille surface for reading and input.
Integrated voice → text and text → voice for hybrid interaction.
Designed from the ground up for affordability, repairability, and scale.
Hardware-first approach, not a tablet accessory or locked ecosystem.
What’s different:
Focus on cost reduction at the actuator/mechanism level.
Modular design so the same platform can support education, navigation, and productivity use cases.
Built with the assumption that braille literacy still matters.
Status:
Early prototype stage.
Validated problem through user interviews and assistive-tech orgs.
Currently refining the braille actuation mechanism and system architecture.
I’m sharing this to get:
Technical feedback on low-cost refreshable braille mechanisms.
Input from anyone who has built hardware for accessibility.
Reality checks from visually impaired users or educators.
This is not polished, not finished, and not a pitch deck. It’s a real problem that needs better engineering.
digdugdirk•1h ago
Aha! You might be just the person to ask about something that's I've always been curious about - are there any other types of Braille mechanisms other than the "pin on a lever arm" concept? They seem so fragile and clunky, and I'm surprised there hasn't been anything revolutionary that's sprung out of the miniaturization over the past 3 decades or so.
sujalbhakare•1h ago
I’m building Tactis, a low-cost, refreshable braille interface designed to make digital information accessible without the $2k–$5k price barrier of existing displays.
Problem:
Braille displays are expensive, fragile, and limited in capability.
Screen readers alone don’t work for literacy, math, or structured technical content.
Most visually impaired users are forced into audio-only workflows.
What this is:
A compact refreshable braille surface for reading and input.
Integrated voice → text and text → voice for hybrid interaction.
Designed from the ground up for affordability, repairability, and scale.
Hardware-first approach, not a tablet accessory or locked ecosystem.
What’s different:
Focus on cost reduction at the actuator/mechanism level.
Modular design so the same platform can support education, navigation, and productivity use cases.
Built with the assumption that braille literacy still matters.
Status:
Early prototype stage.
Validated problem through user interviews and assistive-tech orgs.
Currently refining the braille actuation mechanism and system architecture.
I’m sharing this to get:
Technical feedback on low-cost refreshable braille mechanisms.
Input from anyone who has built hardware for accessibility.
Reality checks from visually impaired users or educators.
Site: https://braillepadpro.web.app/
This is not polished, not finished, and not a pitch deck. It’s a real problem that needs better engineering.
digdugdirk•1h ago