The Challenge 

In the US alone, more than 90 percent of the blind population is Braille illiterate. This not only limits these people in their daily lives, but poses a huge threat of wasted human potential due to illiteracy. Since we beleive that "literacy is a bridge from misery to hope," a solution to this problem is of utter importance. In addition, the visually impaired are limited by not being able to read Braille in a foreign language and have no tools available to overcome this. Therefore, their independence is limited when traveling abroad. Examples: Inability to read signs, inability to read descriptions in museums, exhibitions, or tourist destinations.

The Solution

The E-Braille is a handheld device that captures and recognizes braille and translates it into spoken speech of any language. Helping the community of braille illiterates and visually impaired explorers. The E-Braille strives to work as a learning tool to help eliminate braille illiteracy worldwide. By swiping the E-Braille device against a surface with braille and while connected to the mobile application, the user is able to hear the phrases captured in real-time. This is particularly useful for users who have newly been diagnosed, and are not familiar with braille yet.

The Mission

Our mission is a more inclusive society for the visually impaired, where every person gets to live up to their potential, obstacle-free.

This project is being coached by