4 ms·

Fantastic effort, but oddly and almost shockingly archaic. This is seriously the way the problem is being solved? Why isn’t it microelectronics or MEMS? If we c

Fantastic effort, but oddly and almost shockingly archaic. This is seriously the way the problem is being solved? Why isn’t it microelectronics or MEMS? If we can print 3μm OLED pixels surely there’s a way to lift a discrete 1.6mm dot, especially with that huge 2.5mm spacing. Even adjacent dots ought to be no big deal. Maybe a haptic kludge or grid of air pressure nozzles? I have a personal theory of invention that states: “If you thought of it, someone else thought of it.” I’ll go have a look… OK, an hour later, what about this Dot Pad? “Dot actuator” is micro mechanical? Looks like almost a product. Dig the groovy scroll-in-place presentation, wtf. https://www.dotincorp.com/page/31 https://www.dotincorp.com/page/31

squigz 3y ago
Only £12k! https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad
lrasinen 3y ago
Seems to be £12k, so not cheap: https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad I was thinking if the dots need individual actuators. I'm old enough to remember dot-matrix printers; take the print head but put slightly beefier pins on it, move it left and right and use it to push metal spheres up in a hour-glass shaped cavity, with springy walls in the center section. Obvious problems: how do you reset the spheres? And wear issues. Edit: You could replace the hourglass throat with a plug valve (shared between pins). Print head comes along, turns the valve open, pushes the necessary balls up, closes valve, moves to next column. Needs more mechanics per cell, though.
Nzen 3y ago
Your desire sounds a bit like the fluid based, piezoelectronically pumped haptic display presented by Shultz, et al, in 2023 [0]. I can't speak as to whether these could be packed in enough. The video indicates they can make cells of 2mm wide. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_rErbhxNFM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_rErbhxNFM (4 minutes
olejorgenb 3y ago
A more usable page: https://www.dotincorp.com/page/32?gbn2=DotCell https://www.dotincorp.com/page/32?gbn2=DotCell Doesn't look like it's MEMS? Unless each individual cell is a MEMS, but that seems strange. Maybe MEMS devices can't generate sufficient force? "MEMS actuator braille" has many research hits, but no obvious product.
ta988 3y ago
They have a bunch of patents explaining the tech https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240054912.pdf https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240054912.pdf The device people say cost 12k does a lot more than just braille so that's not a fair comparison.

squigz 3y ago

Only £12k! https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad

lrasinen 3y ago

Seems to be £12k, so not cheap: https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad https://www.visionaid.co.uk/dot-pad I was thinking if the dots need individual actuators. I'm old enough to remember dot-matrix printers; take the print head but put slightly beefier pins on it, move it left and right and use it to push metal spheres up in a hour-glass shaped cavity, with springy walls in the center section. Obvious problems: how do you reset the spheres? And wear issues. Edit: You could replace the hourglass throat with a plug valve (shared between pins). Print head comes along, turns the valve open, pushes the necessary balls up, closes valve, moves to next column. Needs more mechanics per cell, though.

Nzen 3y ago

Your desire sounds a bit like the fluid based, piezoelectronically pumped haptic display presented by Shultz, et al, in 2023 [0]. I can't speak as to whether these could be packed in enough. The video indicates they can make cells of 2mm wide. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_rErbhxNFM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_rErbhxNFM (4 minutes

olejorgenb 3y ago

A more usable page: https://www.dotincorp.com/page/32?gbn2=DotCell https://www.dotincorp.com/page/32?gbn2=DotCell Doesn't look like it's MEMS? Unless each individual cell is a MEMS, but that seems strange. Maybe MEMS devices can't generate sufficient force? "MEMS actuator braille" has many research hits, but no obvious product.

ta988 3y ago

They have a bunch of patents explaining the tech https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240054912.pdf https://www.freepatentsonline.com/20240054912.pdf The device people say cost 12k does a lot more than just braille so that's not a fair comparison.