Multimedia Vision for the Visually Impaired through 2D Multiarray Braille Display

Abstract

Visual impairments cause very limited and low vision, leading to difficulties in processing information such as obstacles, objects, multimedia contents (e.g., video, photographs, and paintings), and reading in outdoor and indoor environments. Therefore, there are assistive devices and aids for visually impaired (VI) people. In general, such devices provide guidance or some supportive information that can be used along with guide dogs, walking canes, and braille devices. However, these devices have functional limitations; for example, they cannot help in the processing of multimedia contents such as images and videos. Additionally, most of the available braille displays for the VI represent the text as a single line with several braille cells. Although these devices are sufficient to read and understand text, they have difficulty in converting multimedia contents or massive text contents to braille. This paper describes a methodology to effectively convert multimedia contents to braille using 2D braille display. Furthermore, this research also proposes the transformation of Digital Accessible Information SYstem (DAISY) and electronic publication (EPUB) formats into 2D braille display. In addition, it introduces interesting research considering efficient communication for the VI. Thus, this study proposes an eBook reader application for DAISY and EPUB formats, which can correctly render and display text, images, audios, and videos on a 2D multiarray braille display. This approach is expected to provide better braille service for the VI when implemented and verified in real-time.