Dot smartwatch has started hitting shelves, offering 21st century adventure for the blind. This watch for the blind is an outcome of three years of research and testing. The USP of a Dot watch lies in displaying messages in four braille characters at a time on its screen.
According to Eric Ju Yoon Kim, founder and CEO of Dot, the watch is just the first step in a bigger picture offering braille devices to the blind. To a question if the smartwatch can work without being connected to a mobile device, he says it will have to be connected to a mobile device in order to receive notifications.
However, one can check the time without the watch being connected. Kim claims there hasn’t really been a true innovation in technology for the blind in many years.
Known for tech innovations for the blind and visually impaired, the mission at Dot is to increase braille accessibility and literacy and to reduce the invisible discrimination against people living with blindness. This latest product – a sleek and stylish smartwatch – converts texts, emails, notifications, and even e-books, into braille.
When a Dot Watch wearer gets a text message, the watch vibrates and small pins on its surface rise and fall to produce 4 braille characters at a time. And when it is not connected to a phone via Bluetooth, the watch simply displays time.
Geetanjali Kaul
G Caffe Founder & CEO. She says, "I fall in love with all that I see and always believe in giving the benefit of doubt."