a scanner for hardcopy braille

From: Abraham Nemeth 356-5353 (anemeth@ece.eng.wayne.edu)
Date: Fri Jan 01 1999 - 20:04:05 PST


[AFrom: Abraham Nemeth
To: colleagues in the braille community
Subject: a scanner for hardcopy braille
Date: January 1, 1999

The following appeared in the Bulletin of the National Braille
Association, W9t}1 1998-1999. It was submitted by Warren Figueiredo.

Index Introduces Optical Braille Recognition (OBR) Software

     Attendees at the NBA conference in Rochester will remember the
presentation of American software developers. It was their hope to produce
scanning software for hard copy braille. A Swedish firm, Index Braille,
has released such a product.

     The possibilities for such a software tool are exciting. Consider the
following:

Rare braille hard copy masters can be converted to disk.

Older books in grade one or grade one and a half can be scanned and
    retranslated into grade two.

The need for a unified braille code is reduced. Materials could be
    scanned and retranslated into the code of choice.

Some braille assignments of blind children will be easily translated
    without as much intervention by a specialist. (This could have
    mixed results on the braille literacy skills of educators.)

The need for unique hardware such as the MPRINT or Braille 'n' Print
    is reduced.

Organizations receiving correspondence in braille can quickly access
    the data.

Distance learning efforts for braille will be enhanced now that braille
    hard copy can be scanned faxed from one location to another.

NLS could develop proofing tools that would decrease the time it
    takes to check exercises submitted in its correspondence classes.

     Visit http://WWW.INDEXBRAILLE.COM for technical details. The software
runs on a Pentium PC under Windows 95, 98, or
NT. Many Hewlett Packard scanners are supported.

     The software allows for the scanning of both single- and double-sided
braille. Wide pages can be scanned and merged. The OBR comes with program
diskette, manuals in braille and print, calibration sheets and filter
to be placed on the scanning surface. The Index web site shows a price of
$895.00 for the software.

     For more information about OBR contact Index Braille directly or its
American dealer Sighted Electronics:

Sighted Electronics, Inc.
    464 Tappan Road
    Northvale, NJ 07647
    800-666-4883
    e-mail: SIGHTED@IDT.NET
    WEB SITE3 http://WWW.SIGHTED.COM

Index Braille
    Hantverkarvagen 20, Box 155
    S-954 23 Gammelstad, Sweden
    46-920-203080 voice or 46-920-203085
    E-mail: INFO@INDEXBRAILLE.COM
    web site: http://WWW.INDEXBRAILLE.COM



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