in theory I'd say this looks very intersting. combine it wiht a sharp zaurus with buildin keyboad and you're doen for your mobile system. Smallest display sofar available soams to be baum's portavario(brailliant 24). On Sun, 16 Oct 2005, Ari wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "TNAUK" <tnauk@xxxxxxxxxxxx> > To: "TNAUK" <tnauk@xxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2005 7:04 PM > Subject: Pocket Braille for people on the move: zb051015 > > > > Pocket Braille for people on the move > > > > The article below may be of general interest to TNAUK subscribers > > - it is article number 35 of this week's New Scientist, ns051015. > > > > #35 Pocket Braille for people on the move > > > > Celeste Biever > > > > AT LAST, the world's first portable electronic Braille display. It > > is small enough to fit in a pocket and can even be rolled up like > > a newspaper. > > > > The display consists of a sheet of tiny plastic paddles that bend > > in response to a voltage. It is designed to connect to a > > cellphone or laptop, and could also replace the liquid crystal > > screen of an ordinary PDA. > > > > Existing dynamic displays for blind people use an array of pins > > that pop up when stimulated by piezoelectric actuators. But the > > smallest versions are the size of a phone book and weigh about > > 500 grams, mainly because of the rigid fibreglass board the > > actuators are mounted on. 'It's moderately portable, but you > > certainly can't put it in your pocket,' says Curtis Chang of the > > National Federation for the Blind in Des Moines, Iowa. At $3800 > > each, they are also too expensive for most people. 'I think the > > new display is a great idea,' Chang says. > > > > It will almost certainly be cheaper. Created by Takao Someya and > > his team at the University of Tokyo, the display is made entirely > > of a flexible polymer and thin metal films. These layers can be > > printed using low-cost deposition techniques, making a price tag > > of as little as $100 a distinct possibility, says Someya. > > > > The 16-centimetre-square prototype is just 1 millimetre thick and > > weighs 5 grams. A grid of organic transistors sits on a polymer > > membrane, with 144 plastic paddles on top. The entire device is > > coated with thin rubber. > > > > The paddles are made of a negatively charged polymer seeded with > > positively charged lithium ions and sandwiched between two metal > > electrodes (see Diagram). When a voltage is applied across the > > electrodes, the lithium ions migrate to the negative electrode on > > the lower side of the paddle. The result is a crowd of ions at > > the bottom, which expands the polymer and makes it bend upwards. > > On the tip of each paddle is a sphere under a millimetre across, > > which rises when the paddle bends, causing a bump in the rubber > > surface. When the current is switched off, the ions disperse back > > into the polymer, the paddle straightens and the bump disappears. > > > > The paddles take just under a second to move up or down, which is > > acceptable for reading a book or a short message, but not for > > someone working, says Chang. To make them move faster the > > transistors need to be made smaller, so the electrons have less > > distance to travel between the transistors' on and off state. > > This might be possible using nanofabrication techniques, says > > Someya. > > > > Someya will present the device at the International Electron > > Devices meeting in Washington DC in December. > > > > The devices could also go beyond Braille and recreate whole scenes > > on their surface, allowing the blind to feel images as well as > > words. 'The idea is to create an array of tiny pixels,' says > > Yoseph Bar-Cohen, an expert in Electro-active polymers at NASA's > > Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. > > > > But he is concerned the force of the paddles in Someya's device > > may be too weak. 'If a blind person cannot feel the movement of > > the dots, the device will not be practical.' > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > TNAUK publications are automatically distributed from this e-mail address- > > any messages, other than those to the Automated Subscriber > > Selection Facility will be lost. To find out how to use this > > facility, which enables you to change the publications you > > receive, temporarily stop email distribution while you are on > > holiday, order back numbers or a Project Gutenberg book, send an > > e-mail to > > tnauk@xxxxxxxxxxxx > > with, in the Subject line: > > help > > > > Information and advice may be obtained from: > > TNAUK, National Recording Centre, Heathfield TN21 8DB. > > Tel: 01435 866 102 > > FAX: 01435 865 422 > > E-Mail: info@xxxxxxxxxxxx > > Web: http://www.tnauk.org.uk > > BBS 08457 419 489 > > Contact Reception to join TNAUK or to request a title, and for all > other > > queries, speak to Ian McGregor on 01435 869 306 > > ianmac@xxxxxxxxxxxx > > > > > > zb051015.txt sent using the zb.tdl distribution list, > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > -- Andor Demarteau E-mail: andor@xxxxxxxxxxxx student computer science www: http://www.nl.linux.org/~andor UU based & VU guest-student jabber,icq,msn,voip: do ask ;) ----------- chairman Stichting Studiereizen Storm 2002-2004 vice-chairman USF Studentenbelangen executive committee 2002-2003 _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list