eye tablet by Dan Hauck from usa

In my mind, the ipitomy of curiosity is the unseen. If I were without sight, I would be most curious about art. This is the genesis of my creation, EYE TABLET, a platform of actuators that take any visual digitized image and make them "seen" by those without vision. In addition, the image can be enlarged to reveal details to fine to be reproduced at full scale. It starts with any 2D digital image. The image is then turned black and white, posterized and pixelated. Each actuator in the tablet "sees" the individual pixel as a tone numbered 1-13 (black being 1 and white being 13). The actuator receives an electric signal, like Morse code, from the parent computer telling it what tone (number) it is, thus ratcheting up each actuator into position. The array of actuators support a membrane of cloth impregnated silicone, so the "image" produced is a pleasant and durable tactile experience, allowing the visually impaired to indulge their visual curiosity!