The study of a new actuator for a two-point Body-Braille system

Abstract

We have been studying the Body-Braille system that transmits Braille characters to disabled people through vibrations on any part of the body. Two years ago, we began to use a SMA (Shape Memory Alloy) device instead of a micro-vibrator. As a result, several advantages were obtained such as smaller equipment size, high resolution transmission, and low power consumption. This year, we developed test equipment for the SMA device which can supply flexible PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) parameters and performed several tests for Braille reading. The test results reveal several possibilities for using a SMA device as a communication channel. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.