A Braille Reading System Based on Electrotactile Display With Flexible Electrode Array

Due to visual impairment and lack of social attention, the reading problem of the blind has not been well resolved. Many existing Braille reading devices still have many problems and are not accepted by the public. This paper developed a portable Braille reading system based on electrotactile display technology. The proposed system is composed of a six-channel electrotactile stimulator, a flexible electrode array for Braille display and a graphical user interface (GUI) for monitoring and control. Based on the flexibility of the system, two Braille reading strategies have been designed: spatial mode and sequential mode. The system was preliminary tested by six sighted subjects. The results showed that subjects were able to recognize Braille characters with more than 80% accuracy within less than 10 seconds for the initial use. Compared to existing Braille reading systems, this system is portable, wearable and flexible in control.