Ototenji, by IAMAS student Mika Fukumori, is a device that allows people who can see to learn Braille using their eyesight, hearing and touch.

“Japanese Braille is expressed by 50 letters with a combination of 1 grid with 6 dots. The combination of vowels and consonants determines the sequence of the grids. Blocks are inserted into a panel with 6 holes and when the figure is in the Braille sequence the sound of the corresponding letter is played from the speaker. At the same time, the connection between vowels and consonants is illuminated with different colors.”

I had a try at Ototenji at Ars Electronica 2004. It was made for non-blind persons but not for non-japanese-speaking people like me. Anyway, I convinced myself that I was actually learning japanese with the device and was quite happy with myself each time I managed to use it correctly.