In India alone, there are 9 million people who are visually impaired. The blind experience daily challenges while performing tasks that sighted people take for granted, such as identifying objects and navigating spaces. Fortunately, technologies such as walking canes, image magnifiers, smartphones, and braille text have been successful in increasing levels of independence for the blind.

However, a key challenge that remains unsolved is the independent identification of generically shaped objects including boxes, cans, important documents, and medication containers. Applying braille labels to these objects is an intuitive and simple solution. And although numerous state-of-the-art devices have attempted to create braille labels, none meet the price point and ease of use required to make widespread adoption affordable and accessible.

Braille-It is a low-cost, personal, braille label maker that allows users to quickly label items. This technology enables users to create sticky tape labels that can be applied to objects for efficient, instant identification and also reduce reliance on sighted people. Braille-It will be impactful in the workplace, in schools, and at home.

This innovative design uses flexural actuators and elastically averaged connections to achieve low-cost, high precision design.