Braille enables blind and visually impaired people to read and write. In order to learn this important skill, aids such as special Braille cells are essential. A hobby developer has presented a 3D-printed model of such a Braille cell.
He improved on an original design that consisted of 19 individual parts. The complex structure made production and assembly considerably more difficult. The model was also very large and uncomfortable to use.
Inspired by pop fidgets, the new version replaces the individual springs with a TPU seal. This design reduces the number of parts to eight and halves the overall height. The buttons are now only 6 mm in size, which is four times the diameter of a Braille dot.
Feedback from a Braille reader was also incorporated into the redesign. Thanks to her suggestions, the cell now sits flat and the versions with flattened or rounded buttons provide more comfort. A multiple cell with eight buttons extends the range of applications beyond learning individual characters.
The model can be downloaded free of charge from Printables under a free license.
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