Here comes a touchscreen tablet to help visually impaired people

Representational image

New Delhi: Scientists have developed a new touchscreen tablet that might prove helpful to visually impaired people.

The device quickly forms shapes and relief maps that users can then explore with their fingers, using their sense of touch.

The tablet could also be used to help visually impaired students learn subjects such as geometry or mathematics.

Navigating in an unfamiliar setting is a major challenge for people with a visual impairment.

To make it easier for them to find their way, researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a lightweight and reconfigurable touchscreen tablet capable of generating shapes and maps.

Users can then "read" the graphic data on the screen with their fingers.

(With PTI inputs)