I like the description you give here of the Optacon III sitting between dots
1 and 4 on the braille display. I think I also have to agree that an Optacon
by itself will not sell.
How about a plastic cover over that fat domino void when the Optacon section
is removed? That's how the Pac Mate with braille display works. The Pac Mate
and its braille display can be separated, but that leaves pins and holes and
other stuff exposed. So Freedom Scientific provided two plastic covers that
snap into place, one on the back of the braille display, and another on the
front of the Pac Mate unit. When those covers are on, they both look like
standalone units.
If you used a little plastic piece to cover that void, it would just look
like a conventional computer with braille display. You could even sell it
and offer the Optacon as an optional add-on.
Evan
-----Original Message-----
From: C. Pond
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2016 3:13 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] a question regarding the ergonomic design and mechanics
of the optacon III
An optacon III ergonomic mechanical question if I may in order to make it
marketable, accompanied by a pre-amble for its context:
As things stand now, the optacon III’s display has evolved from a mere
dumb display (a mere vibrotactile output device which feels something like a
fat domino)) to a stand-alone display into which the nifty camera and power
and whatever can be plugged. This way, the camera and the smart-display can
be mechanically connected to form a crude one-handed optacon with room for
improvement, or they can be used each in one hand as we traditionally have
done. Although I am still really concerned about the power monster, and
I’m working with tuflon and a few other experimental strategies to reduce
power consumption, I’m not worried about a vibrotactile display. We have
a two-handed optacon---even in its basic form—and since Mr. Noel Runyan
recommended a one-handed option, we now have that as well. So be it.
Having said these things, it is my “sense†or belief that a simple
up-to-date small optacon simply will not sell, take wings and fly. no matter
the zeal of present optacon
users. I could be wrong, given proper education of blind people,
especially children, but that is how it looks realistically from this
user’s vantage. If no new optacon users come along, ten years from now
will show a very different optacon-user landscape compared to today.
Therefore, from this line of reasoning, I have combined the basic optacon
III with a small, standard computer (around the size of a Braille Sense U2
32-cell model; smaller than a Braille Lite 40) and a built-in 32-cell
braille display (which unfortunately and to my chagrin and sincere regret
and wish for the contrary is proprietary at this time, and this goes against
Every sentiment and wish within me to have it so!). The braille display can
be built by hand for a few hundred dollars, and likely would be less costly
if produced by automation and in numbers greater than 99 per batch. At this
point, the optacon III’s display fits nicely behind the spacebar and
between dots 1 and 4 of the device’s perkin
s keyboard. So, along one long edge at the front is the 32-cell display
(built with banks of 4 braille cells per bank, smaller than bimorph-based
cells), and the optacon III’s display is right at the back edge, between
dots 1 and 4, and therefore in the middle of the edge. The device has as
many useful functions as any hand-held computer with a robust braille
display and good accessibility. However, if the optacon III’s
vibrotactile display is built into the hand-held computer with its
inexpensive and robust braille display, several questions come to mind for
which I do need feedback.
1. Although the smart display could be made mechanically to slide in and
out of its place, like the old PCMCIA cards, when the display is removed and
connected to its camera, a rectangle-like void about the size of a fat
domino would be left in the hand-held computer with its braille display.
So, what to do in order to prevent this mechanical oddity or use the empty
display space?
2. Is there a better way to design the mechanics of the device?
The only reason why I’m evolving toward solidifying the optacon III’s
design as part of an encompassing system is that on its own, a new optacon
likely would not sell, so other things must be added. Likely enough, most
people would use the braille display and computer more often than the
optacon III’s vibrotactile display. The only two reasons I can see for
being able to detach the optacon III’s display from the hand-held computer
are:
1. To connect it to its camera for one-handed use.
2. To use it as a stand-alone, small, versatile optacon.
Otherwise, and if a stand-alone optacon would indeed sell, this stuff about
a hand-held computer with a built-in braille display would not be an issue.
If the smart display were merely tacked onto one end or the other of the
hand-held computer, that would solve nothing and would make ergonomic design
and use even worse.
I doubt a market exists for two optacon III versions: a one-handed optacon
and a two-handed optacon, and also not likely for a simple, stand-alone
optacon III. If I had my way, I would build the detachable optacon III into
an encompassing system, and find a good use for that fat domino void, or
find a way so it doesn’t happen in the first place.
So, please, any thoughts and suggestions? No doubt the mechanical solution
for this is simple and straightforward.
Chuck
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