The touch screen of I-phone has created a new phone sensation in our generation, but this technological improvement should not only benefit regular people. What could the innovation of technology bring for the blinds? A touch screen for the blinds?

Because of the limitation of their senses, blind people can only receive information by listening, touching. Not being able to see has created major obstacles and inconvenience in their lives. Transforming visual information (such as colors, writings and shapes) to tangible senses (such as Braille) and sound will reduce the limitation of their daily activities and improve their quality of life.

My design B-Touch is introduced to solve such problem and is designed to make the life of blind people easier and better. B-Touch is a multi-functional mobile product. It combines the technologies of blind-touch screen, voice system and program to realize functions that help the blinds to live like regular people such as calling, navigation, normal book reading and object reorganization (shape, color). With the help from B-Touch, the blinds could see things, read books and know the color of clothes they are washing.

B-touch is innovated in the flowing area:
•A special touch screen for the blinds.
•A GPS system (on foot) combined with the up-to-date transport information (bus, trainlike Fahrplan).
•Using the shape-change of the buttons (filled with fluid) to inform users road conditions (i.e. the buttons swell or concave with different degrees according to the bumpiness of the road.)
•Identify objects through comparing the images within the data bank of B-Touch
•Allowing the blind to read documents not bigger than A4 (translate into Braille or voice).

The form design, which is made according to ergonomics, enables the blind to find easily each key on B-Touch and operate it comfortably and accurately. (less info)