Hobarts is awarded a €1.5 million R&D grant

Date: Fri 16th September 2011

Hobart Lasers of West Malling has been awarded a grant by the European Commission worth €1,500,000 (£1.35 million) to fund the development of a computer screen for the blind and visually impaired.

The Anagraphs project

ANAGRAPHS is the acronym for Anaglyptic Refreshable Photo-Haptic Screen.The project is to develop a portable 3-dimemsional computer screen e-Book reader for blind and visually impaired people to read Braille. It will use an infra-red laser and polymer MEMS technology to form Braille letters.

There are existing Braille devices offering less sophistication and fewer opportunities. What sets this apart is that the dots can also be used to produce graphics that the blind can touch. It is thought the technology has possibilities in other areas, for example, maps. These could help visually impaired people navigate their way through transport systems such as the London underground.

This technology will revolutionise the opportunities for those with special needs, helping them to compete in the workplace, help with their education and giving them the opportunity to enjoy the arts.

The project team

Hobarts of West Malling, Kent, is the project team leader and project co-ordinator. Hobarts is an education technology company, that will act as project co-ordinator and will assemble the various components of the Anagraphs system into an integrated whole.

Hobarts lead an international consortium including the UK Materials Research Institute, Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, as well as companies in Denmark and Greece.

Potential market

According to the World Health Organisation an estimated 180 million people worldwide are visually impaired of whom 135 million have low vision and 45 million are blind.

Commenting on the project, Lucy McNaughton, Managing Director of Hobart Lasers said “This unique product will give the company new opportunities and access to an estimated market of €100 million in Europe and €400 million worldwide”.

Stephen Wright, Project Director, said “We are all delighted to be involved in such an innovative product that could enhance the lives of thousands of disadvantaged people and we thank the European Commission for their invaluable support”.

If you require further information please email us at info@hobarts.com or visit the project's website: www.anagraphs.eu

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