It can be hard to read a map if you’re blind, so a team of researchers from the University of Buffalo and Touch Graphics, Inc. (NY, NY) have developed special 3D maps that are specifically designed to be used by people with poor vision.
The map is composed of 3D-printed components, including streets, buildings, and the landscape. The map and objects on it are illuminated from below to help those with poor but still working vision to better see what they’re looking at. When the user touches something on the map, the object is lit-up from above and a digitized voice describes what the object is and can provide directions to the spot if needed.
More at the University of Buffalo: A 3-D, talking map for the blind (and everyone else)…