JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 26 – A team of researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has successfully invented the E-Braille Panel, which functions to assist visually impaired people to recite the Qur’an.
This innovative invention has been developed by a team of 16 researchers led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd. Zarhamdy Md. Zain following a two year research project.
Prof. Zamhardy said the electronic device E-Braille Panel has been invented to replace the printed Braille Qur’an version.
“The Braille Qur’an has been printed in 6 volumes. Each volume is very thick and heavy, unlike the normal print version, thus making it very difficult for these visually impaired individuals to access.
“Realizing the difficulties, we began inventing the E-Braille Panel which has the ability to accommodate the whole 6 volumes of the Braille Qur’an version. The E-Braille comes in a hand held panel which weighs only 1.2kg,” he said.
Prof. Zarhamdy said that this panel allows the Quran Braille dots to be displayed through small holes on the upper side of the panel that can automatically fluctuate and be controlled by the user.
“This panel is also equipped with a Qur’an Electronic Braille Teaching Software where the teacher can control the main panel by typing all teaching materials which can be sent directly to students without wires.
“This innovation allows the Qur’an teaching session to be carried in a group, thus making it more economical rather than the conventional ones which require one-to-one teacher-student interaction,” he said.
Prof. Zarhamdy further added that besides learning the Qur’an, this panel has also been designed to be adaptable, thus making its use possible in learning other subjects in Braille.
“This panel operates with a Data Stick device shaped like a thumb drive and functions well with a Wireless Dongle device.”
“The Data Stick functions to save data on the subject learnt. The device is then installed on the machine when a person is about to start the learning session, “he said.
The E-Braille machine is also equipped with an audio system to further facilitate teaching and learning.
This invention won gold and silver medals in the 22nd Exhibition International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2011 held in Kuala Lumpur.
