Revolutionizing Tactile Text Conversion with An Advanced Character Mapping Algorithm
P. Sindhu, Mayanglambam Sushilata Devi · 2025
In 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, a challenge further intensified by rapid population growth. While education is universally acknowledged as vital for global development, the visually impaired community faces substantial barriers in accessing educational materials. To address these challenges, a character-based segmentation algorithm has been developed to enhance content accessibility for visually impaired users. This algorithm decomposes images into distinct components, isolating individual characters for precise image data processing. The extracted text is then calibrated to establish a relationship between the segmented characters and their corresponding Braille tactile representations, enabling the accurate conversion of complex visual details into tactile formats. To meet user needs, the applet’s output formats are specifically designed for practical usability. During experimental trials, the algorithm demonstrated accuracy rates of 70%, 90%, and 100% under varying conditions. Performance was evaluated across multiple iterations and scenarios, with accuracy influenced by factors such as the volume of content converted into tactile text and the precision of content retrieval from the tactile system. These results highlight the algorithm’s high efficacy and reliability, achieving its goals without relying on Optical Character Recognition (OCR) processes.