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Introducing the brand new Motorised Drawing Arm at SightCity 2016

At Thinkable, we are constantly busy developing new innovations for our blind and visually impaired users. We are excited to introduce our latest product concept: the Motorised Drawing Arm (MDA).

To get a hands-on experience of the new MDA, visit us from May 18 to 20 at SightCity Frankfurt, the world’s largest annual exhibition for the blind and visually impaired. You can find us in booth D1, right beside the entrance of the main exhibition hall. Or pay us a virtual visit on the MDA page.

This computer model shows how the MDA is built up. The MDA's body is shaped like a large capital H with dimensions of approximately 37x43 cm across and 2.5 cm high. The TactiPad can be placed either in landscape or portrait orientation on top of this body. A motor-driven arm slides from back to front over the TactiPad, with a motorised pen moving from left to right along the arm. This pen moves across the surface of the TactiPad and creates the tactile image from the TactileView tactile graphics software.

Motorised Drawing Arm

The new MDA by Thinkable is a concept for a computer-driven motorised arm that draws tactile graphics by mechanically moving a ballpoint pen across the surface of our tactile drawing board. It aims to combine the accuracy of the digital tactile graphics from the TactileView software with the versatility of drawing by hand on the TactiPad drawing board.

This way, the MDA opens up unique interactive ways of making tactile graphics easily accessible. Being a low-cost alternative for creating tactile graphics, it will allow you to create tactile images in one go or even expand a drawing in multiple steps by adding successive digital and/or manual elements.

Motorised Drawing Arm website

On the website dedicated to the development of the MDA, you can explore the applications, product concept, user requirements and technical information. Leave a reply to contribute your own ideas and suggestions!