Health and Wellness > Consumer Products Promotion

DOT MINI. THE FIRST SMART MEDIA DEVICE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED.

SERVICEPLAN, Munchen / DOT / 2018

Awards:

Gold Cannes Lions
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Supporting Images
Supporting Images
Case Film

Overview

Credits

Overview

Audience

Partnering with South Korean national development agency KOICA, Dot Mini will give 285 million blind and visually impaired people worldwide access to text content, bringing the amount of content available in Braille up from 3%. Feedback from users confirm that the device is already changing their lives for better.

BriefExplanation

BriefWithProjectedOutcomes

There are no specific restrictions or regulations regarding assistive devices for the blind and visually impaired on a global level.

CampaignDescription

Dot Mini is the first device that can access any digital text content on its own.

Because the innovative Dot Translation Engine, based on AI / Machine Learning, understands context and translates efficiently to Grade 2 Braille, which is on average 50% shorter.

Dot Mini provides additional audio support, for even faster perception and multisensory applications. All in a device that’s multiple times smaller, more lightweight, less power consuming and cheaper than conventional ones with less functionality.

Execution

The Dot Translation Engine can automatically convert any digital text into Grade 2 Braille.

The 16 Cell Active Braille Display is built with the innovative (70 patents) Dot Technology, uniquely based on magnetism, which reduces size, weight, power consumption and price by up to ten times.

Dot Mini can access digital text files from online libraries and websites, local and network storage.

Full audio support with speaker, headphones and microphone allows multisensory experiences like karaoke and even experiencing movies.

Intuitive control elements including directional pad, select, menu and scroll buttons, as well as voice recognition, make interactive applications like text editing, bookmarks and notes, as well as calculation, coding and even games possible.

Various interfaces: USB, Micro USB, Micro HDMI, SD Card, WiFi and Bluetooth.

Comfortably portable: 158x108x18mm / 256g.

Outcome

Feedback during ongoing closed beta phase and rollout of first 1000 units in Kenya and India confirm that Dot Mini is a life-changing device for the visually impaired. 200,000 books are already directly available through partnerships with big content platforms like Rakuten Kobo and Yes24. 40,000 units are pre-ordered for global launch in late 2018. First 1000 units are being delivered to India and Kenya through Korean national development agency KOICA.

Synopsis

The 285 million blind and visually impaired people worldwide have extremely limited access to written knowledge: Only 3% of all text content is available in Braille, because the complex translation requires human understanding, which makes it unprofitable for publishers. There is no alternative to Braille, especially in education: 90% of people who can’t read Braille are unemployed.

Translation to Grade 2 Braille (50% shorter, standard for longer text) is highly complex, even for humans, because G2B relies heavily on context-sensitive contractions. This inevitably leads to ambiguity, where exact meaning depends on context and up to four consecutive rules to be followed for a single word. For advanced areas like sciences or music, there are whole new rulebooks.

For example, depending on context, the letter ‘x’ can be translated to: ‘letter x’, ‘by’, ‘times’, ‘magnification’, ‘multiplication cross’ or ‘mathematical symbol’. So far, even the best software requires human input.

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