The new BorgCo Braille Autocue looks like a fairly standard lectern with microphone (s). But inset into its surface is a strip of hard plastic composed of hundreds of tiny round-ended pins, each actuated by an electromagnet - like a dot-matrix printer head.

The strip is a bit wider than the average fingertip, and about the width of an average hand.

There are a couple of discreet control buttons embedded in the lectern top, close to the strip.

To use, simply load your text file into the system, then press the start button. Place a finger on the strip, and the text will scroll past as Braille dots, at a user-controllable speed.

Now anyone can look as if they're speaking entirely from memory ...
-- 8th of 7, Jun 26 2014

Ha ! As I expected...(punch line explanation) https://www.google...._rights=&gws_rd=ssl
[normzone, Jun 26 2014]

I've seen those addressable matrixes of pins being used as 'displays' on lapops for blind people
-- hippo, Jun 26 2014


Two blind guys in a nudist convention.

"Hey, Ted, what's the name of that girl you were talking to?"

"C"

"Just 'C' ?"

"Well, that's what her name badge said."
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 26 2014


It may be difficult to follow the letters if they're retracting and protruding as they scroll.

I would prefer the device to feature a vast array of recirculating tiles, each with a Braille character embossed. The machine collects them in the correct order from the magazine and then slides them on rails up to the reading surface and past your fingers, then back down into the machine where they undergo a linotype-distributor-type sorting mechanism back into the magazine. The whole thing could be operated mechanically, the original text fed in as punched tape.
-- mitxela, Jun 26 2014


//... and the text will scroll past// err, no it won't. They might //look as if they're speaking entirely from memory//, but they'd have to look like they have an odd twitch in their hand as well.
-- FlyingToaster, Jun 26 2014


All the attendees get a specified seat, and a hat, on each hat is a big letter, by distributing them by seat, it should be possible to have the entire speech spelt out by the audience.

Obviously someone will be in the wrong seat, so a little mental agility is called for..
-- not_morrison_rm, Jun 26 2014



random, halfbakery