A method for automatically translating print books into electronic Braille books

Abstract

In this paper, a method for automatically translating scanned images from print books into electronic Braille books is proposed with the objective of reducing the amount of time and cost required for producing Braille books. The proposed method consists of processes for identifying character and image areas in a scanned image, automatically translating characters and images into Braille and tactile graphics, respectively, and positioning Braille and tactile graphics into an electronic Braille page. Experimental results show that the proposed method drastically reduces the time required to translate a print book into an electronic Braille book. Despite the drastic reduction in translation time, the method proposed in this paper does not compromise the ability to recognize information for the visually impaired compared to manually produced Braille books, demonstrating its feasibility in practical applications. Therefore, the proposed method is expected to significantly reduce the time and cost required for producing Braille books, and provide more reading materials for the visually impaired, making significant contributions to enhancing their knowledge and welfare.