IIIT-B students develop tech to give seamless classroom experience for visually impaired

Innovative technology by IIIT-B students aids visually impaired students in classroom learning, using finger-mounted device for tactile feedback.

A team of students at International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIIT-B) have come up with a first-of-its-kind technology that would help vision-impaired students get a seamless learning experience in a physical classroom. 

The technology that comes with a hardware device to be mounted on the student’s finger was granted a patent in the second week of March, and requires a smart board equipped-class room.  

“All the student needs to do is place their finger with the device on a flat surface, for example, a desk,” explains Mayank Kabra, who worked on the hardware part of the technology.  

Once connected with the device using WiFi or local networks, the smart board would be virtually mapped to the desk. In other words, the desk would act as the student’s board and the device as a mouse of sorts.  

If the teacher is explaining a certain concept on the board, say a triangle, the vibrations inside the device will guide the finger movements of the student helping them to trace the shape of a triangle. If the teacher’s cursor goes to a certain portion on the screen, the student will be able to follow it in near-real time. 

The device is also equipped with braille dots, allowing the user to understand the text on the smart board. 

“The visually impaired person who is wearing the device will get two feedback. One is the haptic feedback. And the other is from the braille sensor. Together, they ensure that when the professor is writing or drawing on the board, the student also gets the similar sensation,” Kabra explains.