Tactile Display Horizon Prize
What was the Tactile Display Horizon Prize?
The European Commission launched the Tactile Display Horizon Prize in June 2017. This EIC (European Innovation Council) Horizon Prize rewarded the individual or team who came up with an affordable, portable, internet-enabled device with a full-page tactile display to be used by visually impaired and blind people.
What was the Prize looking for?
The aim of this inducement prize was the development of an affordable, full-page tactile display, able to convey digital information in both braille and tactile graphics, improving access to digital information. The solution will mainly benefit blind and visually impaired people. Moreover, it could be used by people whose activities involve simultaneously vision and the touch function of hands (e.g. pilots).
Why this Prize?
People with visual impairment have serious difficulties in accessing digital information. Their access becomes even more problematic when the digital content is composed of graphic elements, which are particularly hard to translate. Thankfully, advances in technology have created major breakthroughs for the visually impaired. Instead of relying only on Braille, the visually impaired today have access to a much broader range of tools thanks to technology like text-to-speech and specialised keyboards. The digital revolution, however, has made communication increasingly visual. The Internet is full of videos, graphics and other rich multi-media that 30 million visually impaired Europeans are unable to see or benefit from. As the world becomes increasingly digital and Europe’s ageing population grows, this problem is becoming more acute.
A full-page display supports the development of spatial awareness and ultimately grants users a greater independence to carry out day-to-day tasks. Beyond the device’s social inclusive role, it also plays an important role in supporting literacy among blind students, as well as helping to tackle some of the challenges around employability for people with visual impairments.
No winners were selected for this Prize, however, you can find out more about the other Horizon Prizes here.
This challenge was funded by
Other horizon prizes
-
![Medication capsules and tablets]()
Horizon Prize for Better Use of Antibiotics
Improving antibiotics prescribing and reducing AMR through diagnostic tests.
-
![A glove and a screwdriver sit next to a car engine]()
Horizon prize for the Cleanest Engine Retrofit
Finding retrofit solution for existing engines and powertrains that best addressed the issue of greatly reducing emissions of NOx, particles, hydrocarbons in real driving conditions.
