Tablet for visually impaired individuals developed in Azerbaijan

/By Azernews/

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijani developers have created a display of the Braille Pad tablet PC for visually impaired individuals, project leader Rashid Aliyev told Trend on June 14.

The prototype of the tablet is likely to be assembled in the design offices in China and Ukraine.

"Currently we have a display of the device, excluding the electronic component. Unfortunately, the agreement earlier reached with design bureau over the production of the prototype can be revised due to the fact that manufacturers made adjustments to the prices. The amount of the grant allocated to us by the State Fund of Information Technologies Development cannot cover the required costs,” Aliyev noted.

He claimed that every 3 months the Fund allocates $3,000 for the project that amounts to $9,000 in general. However, this makes up just 8% of the needed financing.

Aliyev said that $60,000 should be devoted for the completion of the technological component of the Braille Pad’s display, and $1.5 million for mass production.

“Given the market volumes and the need for such devices, this amount may not seem so significant. According to the World Health Organization, there were 35 million people with limited vision in 2013, but in 2020 their number is expected to rise to 75 million,” the project leader said.

He added that Braille Pad has the potential of bringing billions of dollars after its mass production launched.

Aliyev mentioned that the project is export-oriented and is already pre-ordered by Turkey. Some 50,000 Braille Pads are planned for export to this country, while Ukrainian and Saudi Arabian markets will be the next.

Braille Pad is designed for people with limited vision. It will be equipped with multi-line tactile display that allows the user to fully use the functions of a conventional tablet computer by his fingertips. The users will be able to visit websites, use e-mail, social networks, etc.