| The Seattle
Lighthouse for the Blind is a non-profit organization
that provides training and employment for persons who
are blind, and blind with other disabilities. The Seattle
Lighthouse for the Blind manufactures a variety of products
for customers such as The Boeing Company, and the United
States Government. Currently machine operators interact
with their equipment using a talking voice box. This has
been successful for the blind, but a new solution was
needed for use by the deaf-blind. The team developed modifications
to a commercially available printing calculator that resulted
in an inexpensive Braille display. The alterations include
converting the calculator to Braille output, moving the
motor and drive gear, removing the paper feed and printing
components, designing a new plastic case for the device,
and adding a custom circuit board for hardware control.
Electronic hardware and software was developed for the
device. |
