Data for all: Tactile graphics that light up with picture-perfect resolution

People who are blind do not have access to graphical data and imagery produced by science. This exclusion complicates learning and data sharing between sighted and blind persons. Because blind people use tactile senses to visualize data (and sighted people use eyesight), a single data format that ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science advances 2022-08, Vol.8 (33), p.eabq2640-eabq2640
Main Authors: Koone, Jordan C., Dashnaw, Chad M., Alonzo, Emily A., Iglesias, Miguel A., Patero, Kelly-Shaye, Lopez, Juan J., Zhang, Ao Yun, Zechmann, Bernd, Cook, Noah E., Minkara, Mona S., Supalo, Cary A., Wedler, Hoby B., Guberman-Pfeffer, Matthew J., Shaw, Bryan F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedicine and Life Sciences
Health and Medicine
Life Sciences
SciAdv r-articles
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Summary:People who are blind do not have access to graphical data and imagery produced by science. This exclusion complicates learning and data sharing between sighted and blind persons. Because blind people use tactile senses to visualize data (and sighted people use eyesight), a single data format that can be easily visualized by both is needed. Here, we report that graphical data can be three-dimensionally printed into tactile graphics that glow with video-like resolution via the lithophane effect. Lithophane forms of gel electropherograms, micrographs, electronic and mass spectra, and textbook illustrations could be interpreted by touch or eyesight at ≥79% accuracy ( n = 360). The lithophane data format enables universal visualization of data by people regardless of their level of eyesight. Blind and sighted persons can now share and visualize the same piece of data using tactile graphics that glow in ambient light.
ISSN:2375-2548
2375-2548
DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abq2640