DOT: Smart Braille Watch
The smart braille watch, ‘DOT’ is a wearable device that outputs text in braille. One prominent difference between a regular smart watch and ‘DOT’ is inserting and checking information in braille rather than text or graphics; a small, refreshable braille display is used.
A ‘DOT’ application will enable information on a smartphone to be transmitted to the smart watch by Bluetooth, outputting the information in braille. Unlike modern refreshable braille displays, which read one line at a time, ‘active braille display’ is utilized to make braille automatically pass by in the user’s hand as if it were an escalator. A touch sensor is located around four sections of the braille cell, which runs the braille display if a touch is detected.
As well as all the functions of a regular watch, the smart watch outputs every notification (alarm, text message, etc.) received on a smartphone. The watch even has a simple voice recording feature that can run without being connected to a mobile device.
The watch has a voice-recognition feature but does not include a speaker. The speaker can be incorporated later pending on customers’ demand. The battery life is about 18 hours (3-4 hours if used continuously) which is similar to an ‘Apple Watch’.
