At the Electronic Book 2000 Conference in September, the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Electronic Book division unveiled its Rotating-Wheel Based Braille Display (RWB).  This braille reader can receive digital information from computers and ebooksreaders and convert it instantaneously into a continuous stream of braille.  Unlike most braille readers, the braille cells on the RWB are formed on a rotating wheel.  Thus, the reader does not have to move his/her hands across the page linearly, but rather keeps his/her fingers stationary while a wheel, 2 to 5 inches in diamete, turns underneath. 

In addition to the ease with which the RWB can convert digital text to braille, another advantage of the wheel-based braille reader is a major reduction in cost.  Braille readers are general very expensive because of the cost of the hundreds of actuators needed to create the dots which make up the braille cells.  Since there are only a few braille dots that can be felt at any given moment with the wheel-based reader, only a few actuators are needed.  The device includes means for the user to control the wheel speed and to stop the wheel for reading motionless text.  Moreover, users are provided with indications as to where they are within the text and function keys for moving back and forth by line, paragraph, page or chapter. 

Initial studies have shown that over 95% of braille users were able to adapt to the moving braille cells and comprehend the text.    Moreover, users felt that they could read much faster since they were not hindered by the need to move their hands back and forth linearly across the page.

The NIST braille reader is still in the prototype stages.   The NIST developers are not able to give an approximate time to market as they are relying on manufacturers coming forward who will design and sell products based on NIST's patent-pending concept.  NIST developers hope that, among other uses, the wheel-based braille reader will be incorporated into ebook devices, computers and PDAs for use by the visually disabled, providing them with an inexpensive and portable means for reading almost any digital information. 

For more information about NIST's Rotating-Wheel Based Braille Display, see the project's webpage at http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/isis/projects/brailleproject.html