A team of four engineering students at Johns Hopkins University has created a lightweight, portable Braille writer that could be marketed for as little as $10. The project, one of nine undertaken by undergraduate students in the class, was sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind.

“We were looking for a portable writing device that’s low-tech and does not use a computer,” said NFB President Marc Maurer. “We want to give credit to those students. They did an outstanding job.”

The device has six buttons that correspond to the six dots in a Braille cell. Students focused on creating a machine that is both mechanically functional and comfortable to hold and use. Student designer Penny Robinson said one of the challenges the group faced was to remind themselves that their device would be used by people who could not see it. “We had to put ourselves in their shoes,” she said.

Officials at NFB said the students’ prototype will serve as a key starting point for further development. The organization believes such a device can assist many in the US and throughout the world who cannot afford more expensive writing tools.

For more information, visit: http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/home06/jul06/braille.html