CU-Boulder research team converting popular children's books to 3D for visually impaired kids

By: InnovatioNews Wednesday June 25, 2014 Tags: 3D printing, Boulder, CU-Boulder, Sikuli Lab, Tom Yeh

 


BOULDER - A classic children's book, Goodnight Moon, is now available in a 3D version for visually impaired children, thanks to a University of Colorado-Boulder research team.

The book was the first choice of CU-Boulder's Tactile Picture Books Project, and several other 3D versions of popular children's books are in the works.

"When my son was born three years ago, we got five copies of Goodnight Moon as gifts, an indication of how popular it is among small children and adults," said Tom Yeh, CU-Boulder computer science assistant professor and research team leader.

"It seemed to me to be the ideal book that would lend itself to our new research effort."

The idea of tactile picture books is not new, but making them with 3D printing is new, Yeh noted.

"What is new is making 3D printing more accessible and interactive so parents and teachers of visually impaired children can customize and print these kinds of picture books in 3D," he said.

Yeh directs the Sikuli Lab at CU-Boulder, where his students conduct research on how computers can see better and interact with humans more naturally.