Digital Craft > Technology

DOT PAD. THE FIRST SMART TACTILE GRAPHICS DISPLAY.

SERVICEPLAN, Munchen / DOT / 2022

Awards:

Bronze Cannes Lions
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Overview

Credits

Overview

Describe the creative idea

Dot Pad. The first smart tactile graphics display for the visually impaired. It can display any visual content from any source because the innovative Dot Image Processing technology uses Al to analyze and understand visual input and present it most accurately on Dot Pad’s tactile display of 2,400 dots.

While conventional tactile devices use piezoelectricity to power their actuators, Dot Pad uniquely relies on electromagnetism, which reduces size, weight, power consumption and price by more than ten times.

Thanks to a partnership with Apple, Dot Pad integrates seamlessly with iOS and iPadOS, thereby giving users access to the 2.2 million apps on the App Store, out of the box. Dot Pad reduces dependence on tactile textbooks and audio description for graphical content which sighted people are used to freely enjoying.

Describe the execution

After inventing and patenting the most efficient actuator cell in 2014, Dot Inc. set out to digitalize text-to-Braille communication with Dot Watch and Dot Mini. The next natural step was to make graphics accessible. The innovative Dot Image Processor uses AI to accurately map tactile graphics. First launched as a tactile display in public kiosks in 2020, the portable version of Dot Pad was launched in 2022 through Tech Crunch U.S. and Japan.

For the first time, the visually impaired can access any visual content on the internet. Dot Pad encourages independent learning, creates further employment opportunities, and empowers diverse artists and creators.

Thanks to the partnership with Apple, users can access all the existing apps in the App Store in a tactile way. Dot Inc. is now partnering with institutions and organizations, both big and small to make sure the device reaches everyone in need.

Dot Pad has earned huge interest from the media as well as public and private institutions worldwide, with millions in dollars in orders. The Dot Pad technology is even being shared with competitors to give visually impaired people all around the world access to tactile graphics. Dot Pad technology is permanently installed in public kiosks in Busan, South Korea.

Dot Pad has disrupted the field of accessibility technology with tactile graphics. To create further software and hardware support for tactile graphics, Dot Inc. is in touch with major players in the field such to create a unified tactile graphic file format and a dedicated open database of tactile graphics. Dot Inc. is partnering with many educational and governmental institutions like UCLA, Carnegie Mellon University, McGill University, Columbia University, and American Publishing House for Blind (to name a few).

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