Development of a universal Braille and visible character printer

Abstract

This work presents an alternative for blind or visually impaired people's integration through the development of a printer for tactile reading texts in Braille, overlaid on visual reading texts. We proposed the development of a low-cost Braille printer, considering the high prices of printers available in the market. To facilitate the integration of blind or visually impaired people, for example, in the classroom, this project, in its most innovative aspect, proposes the development of a device capable of overlaying visual and tactile texts into a single document. With this benefit, a teacher could provide unique educational material written for students in a class with blind or visually impaired students, as well as students capable of visual reading. In this way, teachers, students, and family members who do not understand Braille writing could communicate better with these individuals, creating an inclusive educational environment. A prototype of a universal printer capable of printing tactile reading texts overlaid on visual reading texts was developed using mechanical and electro-electronic simulation software. Software for using the equipment was also analyzed.