시각장애인의 일상 사물 인지를 위한 보급형 점자라벨기의 개념적 구조 제안

Abstract

Background: People mostly use their visual senses to distinguish objects that fill a living space. On the other hand, tactile sense is used instead of sight for visually impaired people, but it is difficult to recognize the whole at the same time and the scope is limited, so it is difficult for blind people to easily obtain sufficient information even in their living space. In particular, the interface of liquid products in similar containers such as shampoo and conditioner, or products that are being digitalized in recent years, exacerbate this difficulty. Braille labeling machines are being used to cope with this, but their use at home is very limited due to insufficient functions, structure, use, maintenance, and price. The purpose of this study is to explore the simple structure of a braille labeling machine that can provide a price that meets the difficult economic conditions of many visually impaired people. Methods: Through literature, welfare centers, and expert interviews, the characteristics of the visually impaired, object recognition methods, braille writing methods, and existing braille label making methods are studied. The development direction is established by checking the label printing method and the problems of the existing braille labeling machine, and analyzing the needs of the visually impaired. Based on cooperation with the welfare worker in charge, an iterative cycle of gradually materializing and developing alternatives is carried out, and the final result is synthesized. The results are reviewed based on the blind type use experiment. Results: The braille printing method was implemented with a structure using a lever and an electromagnet. By minimizing the number of devices other than the braille output, using no power, and using general-purpose parts that are easily available in the market, a simple structure and energy saving were achieved. As a result, it was possible to create a structural prototype of a low-cost braille labeling machine that can be easily accommodated by the visually impaired. Conclusions: In order to expand the distribution of braille labeling machines essential for recognizing objects in everyday life for the visually impaired, a simple structure concept of a low-cost braille labeling machine was proposed. In the future, it seems that research to further rationalize the proposed structure according to the conditions of mass production is necessary to enable actual commercialization.