Thai University Develops Touchable Ink For The Blind
Description
map of  italy printed with touchable ink. Shows raised image of italy with some cities printed in text and braille.

Thailand's Thammasat University, in collaboration with Samsung, has created a new ink that rises up when heated, thus giving it an embossed effect, just like what you would expect from a Braille embosser. What's revolutionary about this ink is that it can be used with regular printers on regular paper, thus eliminating the need for expensive Braille embossers that emboss on special Braille paper. What's more interesting about it is that it would also be able to print non-braille objects as well. For example, a picture of a map could be printed with this ink on regular paper along with locations within the map printed in Braille (as seen in the image above). A combination of raised text and images will open new avenues for consuming  text based material for blind people.

This ink will not only make the entire braille printing process much cheaper, but will also enable braille printing to be available to practically anyone who has a printer. No more need for Braille embossers that can cost anywhere from $2,000 - $4,000. It is estimated that the current cost of Braille printing is $1.1 per A4 size page. Touchable Ink will reduce that cost to a mere 3 cents per page [1]

This is what a braille document printed in Touchable Ink looks like.



Source: Tech In Asia
[1] CNET

Comments
Order by: 
Per page:
 
  • There are no comments yet
Related Feed Entries
In a landmark move for the global assistive technology community, the Ministry of Electronics & IT recently unveiled a comprehensive strategy to transform India from a text-heavy digital landscape into a voice-first ecosystem. Launched at the India AI Summit Expo 2026, this initiative is anchore…
7 days ago · From Assistive Technology Blog
By Sam Blanco, PhD, LBA, BCBA There’s a famous quote from W. Edwards Deming that says “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” While Deming wasn’t a behavior analyst, this statement aligns closely with how BCBAs approach their work. Most BCBAs will report how much they love …
7 days ago · From Different Roads to Learning
Adidas has announced the launch of the Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive, its first performance running shoe specifically designed for athletes with disabilities. Developed over several years, the shoe was inspired by Chris Nikic—the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman—who previously stru…
10.04.2026 · From Assistive Technology Blog
 Dear Friends, I never write for our blogs but I wanted to share this glimmer of hope. This weekend, an acquaintance of a friend of a friend asked me to view a French film called “No Filter Café” at a Socially Relevant Film Festival in NYC.  It’s a film in French about 5 young men…
31.03.2026 · From Different Roads to Learning
With the April 24, 2026, deadline for the updated ADA Title II regulations rapidly approaching, the landscape of digital inclusion is shifting from reactive accommodation to proactive accessibility. This mandate requires large public institutions to ensure that every facet of their digital presence—…
28.03.2026 · From Assistive Technology Blog
Rate
0 votes
Info
28.04.2016 (28.04.2016)
2239 Views
0 Subscribers
Recommend
Tags