When visually impaired people use a computer, they read what appears on the screen from a refreshable tactile display that contains 20 to 80 braille cells. A computer braille character consists of 8 pins that can be elevated in order to form a braille point or be lowered so no point is present.

Due to the large number of actuators needed, such displays are large and expensive. The Braille mouse is a small tactile display that simulates the larger display and takes the form of a rotating disc .

The disc contains braille cells inside a mouselike case. A reading window inside the case allows the user to feel the rotating disc and thus the braille characters. Below the disk are located an activation mechanism that brings the braille pins in the correct vertical position and a fixation mechanism that holds the pins in this position.

Via Popnext.