T3 Platform: the next generation tactile tablet

This project introduces T3, a system for creating, distributing, and consuming touch-responsive, audio-embedded tactile graphic maps, games, puzzles, and interactive lessons. Based on the successful but outdated Talking Tactile Tablet (TTT) paradigm, this new approach solves several shortcomings of earlier products, and seeks to reach new markets beyond the original target of students who are blind or visually impaired. The T3 Platform allows users to drop a tactile overlay sheet onto a large Android tablet computer fitted with a plastic T3 Frame, then explore tactile figures and Braille with both hands, tapping and swiping to trigger spoken descriptions and explanations of content. Phase II research addresses issues with overlay sheet identification eliminating the requirement that the user finds and presses five different locations each time a new overlay is put in place and allows the application to query the cloud server for data on the currently-mounted sheet in an automatic process that is transparent to the user. The result is a smoother, faster sheet change sequence, and no more sheet mis-identifications that were the biggest source of frustration for users of the TTT. T3 adds on the option to use voice commands, providing a more efficient user experience that allows users to maintain contact with both hands on the Braille or tactile content on which they are focused in lieu of finding and pressing tactile buttons to control the system.