A startup company named Dot has created an affordable Braille smartwatch not only for the vision impaired, but for those who are deaf and blind. The watch’s refreshable Braille display is made up of a series of dots which can project up to four Braille characters at a time. Dot keeps time, has an alarm, a messenger app, navigation and Bluetooth.
“Ninety percent of blind people become blind after birth, and there’s nothing for them right now – they lose their access to information so suddenly,” said Eric Ju Yoon Kim, Dot’s co-founder and CEO, in an interview with Colin Moreshead from Tech in Asia. “Dot can be their lifeline, so they can learn Braille and access everyday information through their fingers, which is the goal of Braille literacy.”
The product and its makers first captured attention on a Korean “Shark Tank”-like startup reality show a few years ago, and the team is finally now ready to retail it for under $300.
Check out this video of the Dot Watch:
Also in the works are a Dot Pad tablet and a Dot Mini education device targeted to developing countries.