“iPad for the blind” debuts at CES

An Austrian tech firm is demonstrating its Blitab device at CES in Las Vegas. Dubbed the “iPad for the blind”, the gadget allows full pages of Braille text or diagrams to be displayed in a sleek, portable machine

Braille display: Composed of “Tixels” (tactile pixels)

Smart liquid: Small physical bubbles rise from screen

Screen can display tactile graphics

Consumer Electronics Show

Las Vegas Jan 5-8, 2017

Memory stick: Inserts into USB socket (tablet also SD card compatible). Text files (such as pdfs) can be
immediately converted into Braille

Cost: $2,800

Due: 2017

Braille users worldwide: 150 million

Head- phone jack

Charging port

Power button

Rear camera

Display: 14 lines

Volume control

Built-in Android tablet: User can navigate using text to speech software. Website text can be converted into Braille

Sources: BLITAB Technology, CES, wire agencies

Picture: BLITAB Technology