Tactilise is a concept of an inclusive platform which empowers the visually impaired, their teachers and parents to create and share interactive audio-tactile content using rapid prototyping technology and augmented reality.
Tactile graphics and specialist educational aids can be very expensive or labour intense to prepare. Moreover, currently there is no adequate centralised system to share aids and inspirations for the visually impaired, their teachers, support workers and parents who constantly reinvent ways to explore the world without the sense of sight.
How?
2D + 3D + audio
Based on an idea that simple vector shapes and silhouettes can be easily raised into tactile graphics, Tactilise does not require any 3D modelling skills to achieve three-dimensional results which can be further modified by other users.
How it works?
Tactilise supports open-knowledge exchange in the community of professionals, parents and the visually impaired themselves by providing them with a tool to create and share interactive digital content in a tactile way.
Raised Vector Graphics
2D - 3D
Based on an idea that simple vector shapes and silhouettes can be easily raised into tactile graphics, Tactilise does not require any 3D modelling skills to achieve three-dimensional results which can be further modified by other users.
Human Recorder Audio
Targeted Audio Descriptions
Discover more emotional and personalised experience through targeted audio descriptions recorded by other users. Simply touch details of the tactile graphics or their digital model to record or upload an audio description.
Simple Shapes App
The power of simplicity
Intuitive application for creation of graphics based on simple geometric shapes.
Specialist Community
Share to improve
Build on experience of other specialists, parents and visually impaired, customise and share back with the community.
Stories
See how Tactilise can help in everyday life of the professionals working with the visually impaired and the visually impaired themselves.
ALISON : Qualified Teacher for Visual Impairment.
Tactilise helped Alison to plan the science lesson and provided a tactile model that she was able to easily modify and voice-tag. Thanks to printing it in pieces, her students could interact with the model and discover possible particle combinations. The model then fed back to the community.
JAMES : visually impaired young adult
James enjoys drawing and sculpting using magnification technology. He would like to share his work with his visually impaired friends. Tactilise enables James to create a personalized 3D audio-tactile graphics even out of complex drawings that he can share with his family and friends, both sighted and visually impaired. Recorded voice gives to the audio-graphics even more emotional and personal value.
Prototypes
The video present the first tactile prototypes showed to a visually impaired user:
The laser-cut ship model is an example of 2D to 3D conversion from a drawing.
The 3D printed model of a chemical particle is an example of Simple Shapes application.
About
Tactilise is a result of a 3-month Master Project of Aleksandra Kozawska, MDes Design Innovation and Service Design at the Glasgow School of Art.
The concept has been created with user-centered design methods and prototyped with the visually impaired participants.
Project realised with participation of Sense Scotland and Visibility.