Thai researchers say they have developed a new and cheaper way for blind people to read text from a computer.
A team at the Synchrotron Light Research Centre in Nakhon Ratchasima said they have developed a Braille display with polymer cylinders that react to light rays to help blind people read text.
While computer-connected Braille displays are not new, Synchrotron's innovation is the first of its kind in the world, and is much cheaper than other types of Braille displays, researcher Rungrueng Phatthanakun said.
Synchrotron is the name of an accelerator, a machine that speeds up electrons in the machine's magnetic field to produce light.
The light produces an x-ray which then causes tiny cylinders made out of a polymer substance on the reading display to move up and down beneath the reader's fingers as "raised dots" of Braille alphabets.
Mr Rungrueng said his team had made a Braille display suitable for reading Thai script.
However, users at Nakhon Ratchasima's school for the blind found the display gives only a 67% accuracy in reading Thai words. English-reading accuracy was measured at 83%.
While some foreign Braille displays cost more than 300,000 baht a unit, the researchers expect to sell their new displays for about 50,000 apiece, Mr Rungrueng said.
His team is seeking a patent for the innovation, and improving the device to help users read electronic texts more accurately. The team also plans to develop Braille displays compatible with tablet computers and smart phones.