7 ms·

> The Optacon offers capabilities that no other device offers It was discontinued in 1996, how is it still doing something that no other device offers?

detaro 7y ago
Devices don't magically stop working when the company stops making them.
- bangonkeyboard 7y ago
  Devices back then didn't, at least.
  - mlang23 7y ago
    The moving parts of a pre-2000 product were definitely more robust then these days. That applies to piezzo based refreshable braille displays as well. However, when using hardware that actually needs to move parts around, nothing keeps working forever. After 20+ years of use (you have to remember that these devices are the primary means of reading for a blind person, so they get quite a workout) almost everything will start to fail.
- reificator 7y ago
  Which is not the point of the question. They're asking why no one else has stepped up to fill that void.
  - ZenPsycho 7y ago
    because there's no money in it. that's the usual reason for things not steadily getting better over time.
    - sterlind 7y ago
      I think there's money to be had. Insurance covers assistive devices for the blind like screen readers, which can be quite expensive. I can't find data on how many completely blind people there are in the developed world (many, like my mom, use a blind cane but can still read with their peripheral vision and large print), but I imagine there'd be enough to support a small start-up.
      - baq 7y ago
        everybody wants to be an unicorn apparently, not many people wanting to be a 'small startup' when you can just coast at FAANG.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
OJFord 7y ago
I studied with someone who worked on a project to make dynamic Braille displays with heated wax (Wikipedia suggests alternative designs are available but more expensive) which isn't quite the same, but there's also less paper (with 'paperless' invoicing etc.) today and what there is could be scanned in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille_e-book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille_e-book But it sounds like that came to an end: > funding from the European Union ran out before it could be brought to production.
- mlang23 7y ago
  Actually, all the piezzo-alternatives I know flopped. Piezzo seems the only workable technology for refreshable braille, especially if you want acceptable refresh times. Piezzo does up to 20 Hz, which is really nice when scrolling along indented code for instance. The proposed alternatives I know of all were in the range of 1-2Hz, which is totally unusable in practice. But they were marketed like a revolution, everytime one came out. It is easy to promote something as the "new big thing" if you manage to prevent actual users telling what they think :-)
mlang23 7y ago
It basically boils down to the fact that the bussiness around assistive technologies is pretty small. However, I am baffled by this fact as well. I really would love to own a Optacon, but cant buy one because nobody is manufacturing them since more then 25 years :-(

detaro 7y ago

Devices don't magically stop working when the company stops making them.

bangonkeyboard 7y ago
Devices back then didn't, at least.
- mlang23 7y ago
  The moving parts of a pre-2000 product were definitely more robust then these days. That applies to piezzo based refreshable braille displays as well. However, when using hardware that actually needs to move parts around, nothing keeps working forever. After 20+ years of use (you have to remember that these devices are the primary means of reading for a blind person, so they get quite a workout) almost everything will start to fail.
reificator 7y ago
Which is not the point of the question. They're asking why no one else has stepped up to fill that void.
- ZenPsycho 7y ago
  because there's no money in it. that's the usual reason for things not steadily getting better over time.
  - sterlind 7y ago
    I think there's money to be had. Insurance covers assistive devices for the blind like screen readers, which can be quite expensive. I can't find data on how many completely blind people there are in the developed world (many, like my mom, use a blind cane but can still read with their peripheral vision and large print), but I imagine there'd be enough to support a small start-up.
    - baq 7y ago
      everybody wants to be an unicorn apparently, not many people wanting to be a 'small startup' when you can just coast at FAANG.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

OJFord 7y ago

I studied with someone who worked on a project to make dynamic Braille displays with heated wax (Wikipedia suggests alternative designs are available but more expensive) which isn't quite the same, but there's also less paper (with 'paperless' invoicing etc.) today and what there is could be scanned in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille_e-book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille_e-book But it sounds like that came to an end: > funding from the European Union ran out before it could be brought to production.

mlang23 7y ago
Actually, all the piezzo-alternatives I know flopped. Piezzo seems the only workable technology for refreshable braille, especially if you want acceptable refresh times. Piezzo does up to 20 Hz, which is really nice when scrolling along indented code for instance. The proposed alternatives I know of all were in the range of 1-2Hz, which is totally unusable in practice. But they were marketed like a revolution, everytime one came out. It is easy to promote something as the "new big thing" if you manage to prevent actual users telling what they think :-)

mlang23 7y ago

It basically boils down to the fact that the bussiness around assistive technologies is pretty small. However, I am baffled by this fact as well. I really would love to own a Optacon, but cant buy one because nobody is manufacturing them since more then 25 years :-(