Second part of the list of 10 amazing gadgets for the blind.
Braille Polaroid Camera
Polaroid may have gone the way of the Dodo for the visually capable, but the blind can still use this once-proud technology. The Braille Polaroid Camera works just as you’d expect, by printing out an image of textures instead of colors. Being able to feel a memory is arguably much cooler, anyway.
Hello Haptic Flash Cards
Children who were born blind might hear about textures like wood grain and sand, but they might not understand without actually feeling the material in question. Samsung Design Membership’s Hello Haptic flash cards contain the material on one side, and a braille description of it on the other. It’s more fun than studying vocabulary, at least.
TouchColor Tablet and Ring
One of the quirkier gadgets on this list, the TouchColor lets the blind visualize colors by translating them into heat. A ring-shaped object can be used to select a color or scan one in based on the surrounding environment, and the user can then “paint” with that color on a thermal art board. I’d love to see what some of these works would look like translated into a visual painting
Bright-F Color Scanner
While the TouchColor is artistic, the Bright-F Color Scanner is practical. The handheld object scans items, such as clothing, and reads back their color, allowing the user to easily sort laundry or pick a matching outfit. Because being blind is no reason not to be stylish.
BrainPort Tongue Imaging
The BrainPort is the strangest gadget for the blind of them all, translating visual images into electrical impulses, sent to a plate that rests on the tongue. In other words, you’re actually seeing the world around you with your mouth. Early tests show that people are able to read large writing and understand what’s around them. And unlike some of the things on this list, the BrainPort is no concept; pending FDA approval, it could be available next year for $10,000.