Cloudeyes
to Project Briefing Video
background and goal
‘Cloud Eyes’ is a reading service design project for the 17 million visually impaired people in China (8 million of whom are totally blind). Traditional Braille books face three major problems: long production cycle (several years for translation of a single book), scarce collection (less than 1% of Braille books in libraries), and poor portability (special paper is bulky). The project provides the visually impaired with a touchable and audible immersive reading experience through a cloud-based platform and hardware innovation.
Key solutions
Cloud-based reading platform:
Users upload books or search for collection resources → AI automatically translates to Braille/audio → distributed proofreading by volunteers (reducing labour costs and improving efficiency).
Multimodal Reading Terminal:
Scalable Particle Braille Keyboard: real-time Braille presentation through dynamic bump combinations, supporting tactile reading (innovative hardware).
Audio mode: adapts to different hearing needs and supports speech rate adjustment.
Service Closed Loop:
From book uploading, AI translation, volunteer proofreading to multi-mode reading, forming a complete service chain, covering home and library scenarios.
design process
In-depth user research: Interviews with totally blind/partially sighted users to find out the core pain points such as ‘limited outdoor activities’ and ‘lack of reading resources’.
Technology Integration Innovation:
AI translation engine solving the inefficiency of traditional Braille production.
The keyboard adopts scalable particle technology, breaking through the size limitations of traditional Braille displays.
Sustainable service design:
Volunteer collaboration mechanism is introduced (simple training can be involved in proofreading) to build a social support network.
Platform data tracking reading habits, personalised book recommendations (e.g. literature/science categories)
impact
Increased efficiency: Braille production cycle reduced from years to days.
Enhanced inclusiveness: Support for totally blind, partially sighted and hearing-impaired users (keyboard tactile + audio dual mode).
Resource optimisation: Reduced Braille storage space in libraries and improved book circulation.