Frank+Kineavy

布萊叶点字法又称盲文或点字、凸字，是专为盲人（或视力受损者）设计、靠触觉来感知的文字系统。目前市面上的盲文打印机往往价格昂贵又难以携带，令不少视力受损者望而却步。美国的一位少年在得知这个事实之后，决定用自己的力量对此做出改变。让我们一起去看看他是如何做的吧！

For years， people with disabilities have been desperately searching for the most advanced technology to assist them with communicating. 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee is on his way to making a substantial impact on the lives of the blind community—with a lightweight， low-cost Braille printer.

The eighth-grader is shaking up the industry by incorporating his passion for Legos with his advanced scientific skills. Upon researching how the visually-impaired read for a science fair project， Shubham decided to brainstorm2） a new invention using a Lego set called Mindstorms EV33）. At his home&apos；s kitchen table， Shubham developed a printer that translates reading material from an electronic device onto a document in Braille. He then advanced from converting a 3D printer into a newer version of his original model.

His invention would serve a vast populace4）： an estimated 285 million people around the world suffer from some type of vision impairment， according to the World Health Organization.

Two of the most notable flaws in current Braille printers on the market are their weight and cost： averaging at about 20 pounds， they cost an estimated $2，000. So rather than the bulky and expensive devices that are currently on the market， Shubham wanted to make his printer both affordable and portable5）.

"I just thought that price should not be there，" he explained. "I know that there is a simpler way to do this."

What Shubham came up with has the San Francisco technology center flocking6） to him to be a part of this potential breakthrough. The young entrepreneur&apos；s startup7）， Braigo Labs （a combination of "Braille" and "Lego，" named for the original model&apos；s incorporation of Legos）， already obtained seed capital8） from various backers9） who think his invention has real potential. This includes an undisclosed10） sum from executives at Intel， where Shubham&apos；s father works as an engineer.

"He&apos；s solving a real problem， and he wants to start and disrupt an existing industry. And that&apos；s really what it&apos；s all about，" Edward Ross， director of Inventor Platforms at Intel said.

Braigo Labs is turning into a family venture11）， with 13-year-old Shubham as the face of12） the company. Since the teenager legally cannot sign documents， he has appointed his mother as the CEO， with his father heading the board. A typical day for the young entrepreneur includes balancing school， football practice and meetings with potential investors.

Braigo Labs is currently working on its third model， which Shubham plans to send to various blind institutions for feedback. In addition， the Royal National Institute of Blind People will be flying from Britain to test run the product.

The founder of Braigo Labs has beaten Facebook founder， Mark Zuckerberg， by six years to gain venture backing13）. He used the money to build a team of engineers to develop an updated model.

There has been overwhelming support for this product from the blind community.

"This Braille printer is a great way for people around the world who really don&apos；t have many resources at all to learn Braille and to use it practically，" said Henry Wedler， a blind chemistry doctorate14） student who has also become an advisor for Braigo labs.

Shubham is forgoing15） the potential economic returns his invention could bring him and rather producing a low-cost product so the vision-impaired community in developing countries can benefit from his innovation. He hopes to one day see his product become the standard for the blind.

"My end goal would probably be having most of the blind people ... using my Braille printer." he said.

"I&apos；m really proud of Shubham. What he has thought， I think most adults should have thought about it，" Malini Banerjee， Shubam&apos；s mother and CEO of Braigo Labs， said. "And coming out of my 13-year-old， I do feel very proud."

多年來，视障人士一直在苦苦寻找最先进的技术来辅助自己进行交流。13岁（编注：英文原文发表于2016年2月）的舒巴姆·班纳吉借由一款轻便价廉的盲文打印机，即将为盲人群体的生活带来巨大的影响。

这位八年级学生将他对乐高的热爱以及自己高超的科技发明技能结合在一起，正在对这个行业做出改变。在为一个科技展览会的项目研究视力受损者如何阅读的过程中，他决定借助名为Mindstorms EV3的一套乐高玩具头脑风暴出一项新的发明。在自己家的餐桌上，舒巴姆开发出了一款打印机，能将电子设备上的阅读材料转码为用盲文显示的文档。接下来，他又取得了进展，将一款3D打印机改装成了自己最初开发的盲文打印机模型的更新款版本。

他的发明将为许许多多的民众带来帮助。根据世界卫生组织的统计，全球各地约有2.85亿人在遭受某种形式的视力损伤。

市面上现有盲文打印机的两大缺点是其重量和价格：平均重20磅（编注：约9.1公斤）左右，估计要2000美元。因此，舒巴姆想让自己发明的打印机能让人买得起又便于携带，而不是市面上现有的那些又昂贵又笨重的设备。……