Touchpad for the Blind to Read Text Documents

The project presents an idea to provide visually impaired people access to any printed material or soft copies available on the computer. The project is a suitable alternative to Braille books. This initiative enables a blind person to read texts which are not available in the Braille format. An image sensor enables the user to take images of the text to be read. The dots of the script sensed by the user are elevated electromagnetically by precise actuators. Experiments were carried out and the results analyzed for distinct cases. It was found that with accurate processing, recognition and detection techniques, it is possible to extract text from the image. The blind can therefore read any printed work or text by clicking an image. The algorithm can be further improved with noise rejection techniques, for increased user convenience when interacting with the real world.