Project description
A new haptic tablet with a 2D Braille display
Our mobile devices keep us constantly in the loop. However, relying almost exclusively on visual and auditory feedback creates accessibility issues. While most smartphones and tablets are equipped with accessibility features like text-to-speech, Braille displays require extra peripherals which are often too expensive and too limited. As a result, the visually impaired have limited access to graphical content and complex notations. The EU-funded ABILITY project will not only develop a novel cost-effective actuation mechanism for a multiline Braille display, relying on fewer and remote actuators, but it will also integrate innovative multitouch vibrotactile localised feedbacks into a standard tablet. The device will provide multisensory interactions and feedback, leveraging AI algorithms for device adaptability to the users’ needs and behaviour, notably for image analysis and predictive writing.
Objective
Digital technologies have become pervasive in our daily lives and have fundamentally changed the ways we communicate and interact with information and with each other. We now have access to digital content anytime, anywhere and in a palette of formats, ranging from images, videos, text, speech to virtual and augmented reality experiences. Typically, this has made smartphones, and similar mobile devices, an invaluable source of information and a mean of connection to the world and to others. Yet, by relying almost exclusively on visual and auditory feedbacks, these devices pose evident accessibility issues.
Current smartphones and tablets provide accessibility features, but mostly in the form of text-to-speech, which can be impractical and affect literacy, and through connectivity to refreshable Braille displays, which involve an additional peripheral, often bulky and expensive or when small too limited. These devices still prevent the visually impaired access to graphical content and complex notations. A solution would be to develop a specific tablet for the visually impaired, but few of them exist and currently tackle all these challenges.
In ABILITY, this will be achieved by proposing a novel cost-effective actuation mechanism for multiline Braille display, relying on fewer and remote actuators able to control independently the Braille cells, and a tablet with innovative multitouch vibrotactile localised feedbacks. This device will provide multisensory interactions and feedback, leveraging AI algorithms for device adaptability to the users’ needs and behaviour for image analysis and predictive writing. The goal is to provide a multisensory device covering the wide range of visual disabilities and needs of the visually impaired population, through combinations of tactile, visual and auditory feedbacks. For this, ABILITY will adopt a user-centred design approach throughout the project to involve the users iteratively in the different design and evaluation stages.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software development
- natural sciences computer and information sciences internet world wide web web accessibility
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.4 - Digital, Industry and Space
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.4.6 - Next Generation Internet
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2021-HUMAN-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75015 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.