OSDev.org

The Place to Start for Operating System Developers
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:07 am

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 34 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3
Author Message
 Post subject: Re: Structure editors
PostPosted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:41 pm 
Offline
Member
Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 11:00 pm
Posts: 2293
Location: USA (and Australia)
I also wondered about a the feasibility of embossing braille on a shape-memory polymer. Imagine a machine that is long and skinny, like a single line of text. It had a roll of paper wrapped around it on an endless loop, and you can scroll this paper back and forth with your finger. On the right side in a braille embosser, so as you scroll with your finger new characters get embossed into the paper, and as it passes underneath the device electrical current is sent to the memory paper with un-embosses the old braille.

_________________
My OS is Perception.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Structure editors
PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:35 am 
Offline
Member
Member

Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 2:59 pm
Posts: 1146
MessiahAndrw wrote:
I also wondered about a the feasibility of embossing braille on a shape-memory polymer. Imagine a machine that is long and skinny, like a single line of text. It had a roll of paper wrapped around it on an endless loop, and you can scroll this paper back and forth with your finger. On the right side in a braille embosser, so as you scroll with your finger new characters get embossed into the paper, and as it passes underneath the device electrical current is sent to the memory paper with un-embosses the old braille.
That is an interesting idea, however it would be more practical if the device operated like a traditional braille display and refreshed the entire line when a "scroll" button is pressed, rather than moving the paper with your finger. The latter is not a standard braille reading practice and is likely to take a while to get used to while not being very efficient. Its advantages over a traditional braille display, however, is that you can make a 40-cell or an 80-cell or whatever size display just by varying the amount of "paper" (and changing the softwrae) while only requiring one set of embossing pins (6 pins, or 3 if the designers are especially clever). I'm not sure how the price of shape-memory polymers compares to the current price of piezoelectric braille display components (if we ignore market exploitation, which obviously drives the prices up quite a bit further) but if they are significantly cheaper then it's a case of trading refresh rate for price (i.e. a shape-memory polymer will take longer to refresh as it would have to be wound and embossed all the way through the display, but some people might be willing to give up a bit of refresh rate for a cheaper display).

_________________
When you start writing an OS you do the minimum possible to get the x86 processor in a usable state, then you try to get as far away from it as possible.

Syntax checkup:
Wrong: OS's, IRQ's, zero'ing
Right: OSes, IRQs, zeroing


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Structure editors
PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:54 am 
Offline
Member
Member

Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:03 am
Posts: 397
onlyonemac wrote:
Never mind I get it. Well no, because I still don't see how your mention of the vibration feature relates to anything, but basically what you're TRYING to say (somehow) is that because phones have vibration functions then it is feasible for them to have a tactile screen. I don't get the logic in that

Vibration functions are implemented with high precision electromechanical solutions. Braille display also requires some electromechanical support. The complexity of the haptic motors is increasing and they still are cheap. A tactile surface with 10*10 electromechanical points can be cheap enough in case if the points are much simpler than the advanced haptic motor from iPhone.

Here you can see the complexity of haptic devices.

_________________
My previous account (embryo) was accidentally deleted, so I have no chance but to use something new. But may be it was a good lesson about software reliability :)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Structure editors
PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:58 am 
Offline
Member
Member

Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:03 am
Posts: 397
Rusky wrote:
There is at least one existing product for pressable buttons on touch screen keyboard keys: http://tactustechnology.com/technology/, http://www.getphorm.com/. I don't know how well it would handle braille in its current state- it probably has "button" size and number limitations since it uses a fluid to raise parts of the screen.

It's not clear from the information on the sites what mechanism is used to switch the fluid channels on and off. It's a very important and cost determining part of the solution. May be somebody knows how it works?

_________________
My previous account (embryo) was accidentally deleted, so I have no chance but to use something new. But may be it was a good lesson about software reliability :)


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 34 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group