Text Detection and Communicator Using Braille for Assistance to Visually Impaired

Abstract

Although there are many methods for conversion of text to speech for the assistance for the blind people. Braille remains the language necessary for literacy. This paper presents the prototype of real-time text communicator in form of braille actuations, a novel concept of blind assistive gadget which aims to make the books, eBooks, handwritten documents available to the blind. An efficient and portable image to braille display conversion can be achieved using this prototype, hence making it easy to access text on paper by just capturing an image. A camera was used to capture images in real time, this image was processed using image processing techniques and each character was converted into braille script by the microcontroller. Finally, this software version of braille was actuated using two different actuators namely servo motors and solenoids. Servo motor model was more economical but occupied more space. Solenoids successfully minimized the space occupied by the model, by ensuring that the induced magnetic field did not affect other solenoids. These actuators provided braille dot sensations perceptible by touch which would be read by the blind people. This braille system has a potential to be used in tactile applications.