Braille Cell  -  Refreshable Braille Display  -  Design Survey




TSI   8-dot braille cell
Piezo bimorph actuator (~ 1985)
General Information



Sheet-type braille display device
T. Someya, University of Tokyo (2005-2007)


Thin film SMA bistable actuator, tactile pin
Caesar Research Center, Germany (2004)

Research & Development Projects
(1985 - 2010)

     Active

     Reference
  • Tactile Display Corp. / NSF - Braille display module


  • J. Lee (UK) - Microfab thermopneumatic braille cell


  • CA Technology - SMA actuator, braille pin module


  • R. Graf (Latvia) - SMA tactile array with latch plate


  • ITACTI (Europe) - ERF multiline braille prototype


  • Uniplan (Japan) - Scan actuated tactile display


  • M. Cohen - Bimetallic actuated braille cell


  • Caesar Res. Center (Germany) - Bistable SMA actuator


  • NIST - Scanned actuator tactile display


  • Orbital Research/iActiv - MEMS multiline braille display


  • Y. Bar-Cohen, JPL - EAP matrix tactile display


  • R. Heydt, SRI/NIDRR - EAP braille cell design


  • Robotron (Aust.) - Mechatronics braille cell module


  • Mitsubishi (Japan) - Motor driven braille cell


  • Simon Fraser Univ. (Canada) - Single pin SMA wire


  • IPRI/Quantum Tech. Inc. (Aust.) - EAP braille screen


  • Piezo Systems Inc. / NSF - Multiline braille display


  • T. Tanaka, MIT - Gel polymer tactile tablet


  • E. Blanco, MIT - Micro-solenoid braille cell


  • D. Johnson, TiNi Alloy Inc. - SMA actuated braille pin


  • Petersen Research - Electromagnetic braille display unit


  • O. Tretiakoff - Braille cell, vertical piezo reeds


  • L. Rose - Full page braille display, bimetallic latches


  • Telesensory Systems Inc. - Piezo bimorph braille cell



  • H. Choi (Korea) - EAP tactile/braille pin


  • A. Schleppenbach, Purdue Univ. - SMA spring braille pin


  • H. Shin (Korea) - Latched tactile pin array


  • A. Boles, QinetiQ (UK) - Electromagnetic braille pin array


  • Blazie Engineering Inc. - Pneumatic braille display


  • NIST - Rotating braille wheel


  • M. Cowens, TI - Hydrogel tactile pin prototype


  • Triformations Inc. - PZT braille cell


Ball latch mechanism  Rev.2
(March 2008)
Tactile pin 'down' -> 'up' state

Shaw / Carter  Design Concepts


© Copyright  Keith N. Shaw  (2008-2011)  All rights reserved.

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please email: info@kscitech.com