Braille smartwatch in development to give blind another option

A South Korean company is aiming to provide blind people with the first-ever braille-display smartwatch this year, and a representative from the Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) says it provides an opportunity for many to improve their quality of life. Dot plans to release a braille-display smartwatch in December this year in South Korea, the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia. It is about the same size as Apple Inc.’s Apple Watch and can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth. It has an alarm clock, reading capabilities and navigation. All the information is delivered via signals to the magnetic braille pins, which will move up and down at a customizable speed for the user. Eric Kim, CEO and founder of Dot, said in a Skype interview that creating the braille smartwatch was a way of giving blind users a different option to access more information at an affordable price. “We learned through interviews of over 300 blind people … really only have one option; it’s sound. They’re so limited to their options. … What we learned though was that braille is not an alternative against sound; it’s more about helping and giving blind people another option that they can use,” Kim said. Kim said that because there is a huge smartwatch market already in place, it’s easier to sell this type of product. He added that he could have a market of up to “285 million blind people because current braille devices are so bulky. We could replace those types of products." Jason Fayre, adaptive and information technology specialist at the CNIB, said in a phone interview that most braille technology products start at $2,000. He said his first braille-display device was bulky, weighed about 20 pounds and cost him nearly $10,000. The Dot smartwatch will be priced at about $300, according to the company's website. Apple Watches, by comparison, start at $449. “The only accessible wearable right now that is even close to is the Apple Watch … and I think learning the gestures for the Apple Watch’s voice-over function can be a learning curve, especially for someone who hasn’t ever used a touchscreen,” Fayre said. Fayre, who is blind himself, said that Apple's iPhones and iPads are the best on the market right now because they support braille displays. He also noted that most blind or partially blind people are more inclined to use the voice-over feature that Apple products offer, and as a result, don’t use braille as often. “I’ve heard a number as low as one per cent of blind people who read braille. … I think that might encourage people to maybe learn braille. ... But I think for those who do read braille, this could be pretty important,” said Fayre. Fayre also said that because not a lot of people know what type of products support blind people or braille displays, there can be a challenge when singing up for wireless services. He said that when he had signed up for his own wireless service with Rogers Communications Inc. about five years ago, he didn’t receive a lot of feedback, and if it weren’t for his passion and job to know about specific devices that support blind or partially blind people, it would have been difficult for him to figure out the right product for him. Rogers’ spokesman Aaron Lazarus said in an email that currently Rogers does “offer a number of devices with features that will help visually impaired customers.” He said Rogers works together with customers to “determine their specific needs and help them find a device with the right functionality.” Lazarus added that that Apple products “allow people to attach a Braille display device to help them navigate their iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc.” He said that customers need to purchase their own braille device separately, which can then be attached to the phone that Rogers can offer to its customers when signing up for a wireless plan. Emily Taylor, a senior analyst for consumer trends at International Data Corp., said in a phone interview that there is a growing market for wearables in the space of adaptive technology for people with disabilities, but added that most companies are focused more on fitness functions. “It’s not really being explored and it’s a bit limited right now because of the idea of having to go through clinical trials, acquiring government approvals. It’s not necessarily the easiest environment to navigate through,” said Taylor. Taylor added that it’s different to have a wearable smartwatch that enables blind people to read braille because a lot of the other products that are currently being created are using augmented or virtual reality, and using headgear, in order to offset disabilities. She said the smartwatch being developed by Dot “is something different and something unheard of.” Taylor said as more health-oriented wearables are developed, better statistics could be generated. But because fitness is such a big focus for wearable technology now, it is hard to determine where the future of wearables geared towards disabilities will lead. “The industry is still trying to figure out how it all works and how quickly it will all move is a big question right now,” said Taylor. — With reporting by Shruti Shekar at sshekar@thewirereport.ca and editing by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca

Braille smartwatch in development to give blind another option

Broadcast | August 14, 2015

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