There is much high praise - and rightly so in my view - about the multi-line Braille devices that are beginning to emerge. Thanks to a loan by manufacturer Dot Incorporated and UK distributor VisionAid Technologies, I have had an opportunity to enjoy some hands-on of Dot Pad X, a portable 10-line 20-cell tactile graphics and Braille display.
Dot Pad X measures 273, by 228, by 16mm, and weighs 1.2kg. It comprises a 300-cell multi-line tactile graphics and Braille display area, plus a 20-cell single line panel at the front edge. This device allows a blind or visually impaired user to work with graphics, images, sketches, handwriting, and Braille text. Pair it with the JAWS or NVDA screen readers, or use on iOS and Mac, this powerful unit opens up a whole new world of accessibility.
Dot Pad X offers the following features and functionality:
- Tactile Graphics Creation - Instantly feel your handwriting, sketches, or signatures as the Dot Pad converts input from a connected device into tactile graphics
- AI-Powered Image Processing - The Dot Image Processor uses AI to analyse and segment images, ensuring clear, meaningful tactile output optimised for accessibility.
- Intuitive Controls - Six customizable buttons, zoom, pan, invert, and rotate functions put you in full control of your content.
Connectivity & Compatibility:
- Works seamlessly with iOS 15.2 or later.
- Now fully integrated with JAWS for Windows and NVDA, enabling true multi-line Braille reading for documents, spreadsheets, and web browsing.
- USB-C and Bluetooth LE for fast connections and portability.
- STEM & Math Accessibility - With full MathML support, students and professionals can explore complex equations and STEM materials with accuracy and ease.
Box Contents
The box contains a Dot Pad X, USB C cable, replacement membranes with removal tool, and padded carry case with strap.
This device has no internal memory so isn’t stand-alone. You input text or draw by connecting Dot Pad X to a PC or Mac, or to an iOS device by either USB or Bluetooth. In other words, your screen reader is Dot Pad’s driver.
Orientation
Placing the unit on a flat surface, the single line display and navigation keys are nearest you with a slight rise towards the back of the device. The front face of Dot Pad feels rather like a picture frame with a rectangular circumference and large square area in the centre consisting of 300 eight-dot Braille cells (30 columns × 10 rows),where your Braille text or images appear. Below this area are six keys going across the unit. The outer keys at each end are shaped like arrows pointing left and right. The inner four keys are oval-shaped, but they are all well spaced for easy navigation.
In front of these keys is a single line of 20-cells that contain Braille text relating to any images you are studying in the square surface in the centre of the Dot Pad X.
The right side of Dot Pad X contains a small switch that you push away from you to power on the unit, and towards you to power it off. The USB C power socket is above this switch.
There is a USB C socket on the left side of the unit into which you connect a cable for use with a PC or iOS device.
Located at the far right of the control buttons area is a LED status indicator which communicates Your Dot Pad X status such as power, Bluetooth connection, and charging via colour and blinking patterns.
Dot Pad X has an internal battery that runs for around eight or nine hours, depending of course on use. To ascertain its charge, you can press both arrow keys simultaneously to feel haptic feedback with five vibrations being a full charge, and one being an indication that you need to put it on charge.
Dot Canvas
There are no built-in applications on Dot Pad. You pair the device with your computer or tablet, and navigate using the six keys on the face of Dot Pad X for panning, zooming in and out of graphics and images. You can download the Dot Canvas app that has been specifically developed for this device, where you draw on the surface of your tablet that then transfers to the Dot Pad X. Dot Canvas allows you to draw, sketch, read diagrams and import or export your masterpieces and save them in Dot Cloud. The app is freely available from the App Store, or you can use the web version on a computer. You create a Dot Canvas account and start using the tools within the app to draw, write or create tactile diagrams that appear on the surface of your Dot Pad X.
Reading
One of the features of Dot Pad X that I love most is reading Kindle books. When you pair Dot Pad X with an iPad, sign into Amazon Kindle, and choose a book from your library, you can sit with Dot Pad X on your lap and read. The panning keys on Dot Pad enable you to move back and forward in your book. A tip is to mute VoiceOver if all you want is to read Braille rather than listen to text as well. Just double-tap twice with three fingers to mute and unmute speech while reading your book. Refreshing the multi-line display is virtually instant and quiet.
Using Dot Pad X
I have been frankly blown away by the portability and responsiveness of Dot Pad X. The idea of being able to pair your iOS device or computer with this unit to read books, documents, tables, spreadsheets, web pages and create your own scribbles brings these already accessible tools to life in ways I never thought possible only a few years ago. Yes single line Braille is already phenomenal for Braillists like myself, but having a portable device on your lap to read a Kindle title or scribble on an iPad is so inspiring. It isn’t just what you feel under your fingers either, it’s instantaneous, with no need to lift your fingers off the surface as Dot Pad X seamlessly refreshes as you navigate. What I long for is being able to feel the drawings or handwriting my grandsons produce: to be able to share those moments are incredibly emotional.
Some Comparisons Between Dot Pad X and Monarch Dynamic Tactile Display
As you may have read elsewhere, I am fortunate enough to own a Monarch Dynamic Tactile Display. You may wonder what the major differences between these two fantastic products are:
- Monarch is larger and heavier with 10 lines of 32 Braille cells
- Monarch has a better battery life of approximately 20 hours
- Monarch has an eight-dot input Braille keyboard for writing and editing documents with panning and zoom functionality to navigate tactile diagrams
- Monarch has a plethora of KeySoft built-in applications and internal storage so can therefore be used as a stand-alone device
- Monarch works well with the JAWS and NVDA screen readers, but not currently with iOS
- Monarch connects using USB C or Bluetooth, and runs Android 13 under the hood
- Like Dot Pad’s Dot Canvas app, Monarch pairs with an app called Wing It for drawing that can be downloaded from the App Store
I guess, most of all, Monarch currently costs double the price of a Dot Pad X. Any multi-line tactile graphics display is a considered purchase depending what you want to do with it. For me, I just love all aspects of learning about tactile graphics, drawing, reading, and having so much Braille dots at my fingertips.
Conclusion and Pricing
Multi-line displays are still at a relatively early stage in development. My hope is that the cost will slowly fall to allow more people to afford them. Where Monarch is concerned, I look forward to it working with iOS. With Dot Pad X, there are one or two accessibility issues with the Dot Canvas app that require further tweaking.
Dot Pad X is currently sold for £6,495.00 in the UK by VisionAid Technologies, 0800 002 5555,
It can also be purchased from RNIB, 0303 123 9999
Monarch is sold in the UK by HumanWare for £13,995.00, 01933 415800,
https://www.humanware.com/en-united_kingdom/home
Both devices offer good documentation and technical support, and are a real game-changer for blind and visually impaired people in education, in employment, and for leisure pursuits.