A 12-year-old boy has invented a Braille printer that costs about $1,650 less than the ones that are available today. Shubham Banerjee is in grade seven in Santa Clara, California. He used a Lego Mindstorms kit and added five dollars’ worth of parts he bought at a hardware store to create what he calls a Braigo (Braille + Lego). His Braigo costs about $349 to make. People who are sight-impaired (who are blind or who cannot see well enough to read a book) can use Braille to “read” using their fingers. Braille uses raised dots to represent letters. People can feel the bumps with their fingers and, if they know Braille, will understand what the raised dots say. Banerjee’s printer turns letters into Braille dots. This is known as “Braille embossing.” According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 285 million sight-impaired people in the world and 90 per cent of them live in developing countries, where they may not have much money.

For them, a $2,000 Braille printer is not affordable. Banerjee said he got the idea for his printer last December when he saw a flyer asking for donations to “help the blind.” He asked his mother how blind people read and after he Googled it, he found out about Braille. He said he has loved Lego since he was three years old. He said his dad, who is an engineer, helped him whenever he had questions as he was designing his Braigo.buy lego portrait He said he will make improvements to his invention in the future.buy lego star wars 8039 For instance, it takes five to seven seconds for the Braigo to print a letter. lego rb26 buyHe wants to improve the speed of his machine.buy lego curiosity

He said he plans to put his design for the printer and its software onto the Internet, where he hopes people will freely share the information and improve his design to make it better. Banerjee said he wants to translate The Hunger Games (book) into Braille using his Braigo. Banerjee told CBC Radio that he also intends to set up a non-profit company so he can put his and his friends’ other ideas into action.buy lego jabba's sail barge Watch Banerjee’s Braigo in action:lego shop brugge Imagine what life is like for people who have sight-impairements. How could the Braigo change the lives of people who are sight-impaired? Think of all of the ways that this invention could affect people’s lives. Reading Prompt: Text Features What characteristics should an inventor possess? Why are these characteristics important?

How does Banerjee demonstrate these characteristics? Identify a variety of text features and explain how they help readers understand texts (OME, Reading: 2.3). Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6). Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge and experience, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6). As explained in this article, Braille is another way to communicate. Raised dots communicate letters and they are ‘read’ when people move their finger across the letters. Do some research into Braille. Figure out how you would write your name, where you live and your favourite food. Are grammar conventions such as commas, question marks and quotation marks used in Braille? Click here for School Information Opens - Monday 30 Jan Closes - Saturday 1 Apr

Current Book Club Offer Ages 0 - 5 Ages 9+  / Ages 11+  / Teen I need to buy Lego for my niece and nephew. Where can I buy Lego in downtown? I have limited time so I'm not able to travel to Bellevue. One destination mentioned in this post We dont have a Lego store in downtown Seattle, only in Lynwood and Bellevue. I have seen Lego at the City Target near 2nd/Pike Market(it was not a huge selection), and hubby sez he has seen a Lego of the Space Needle at the Space Needle. One attraction mentioned in this post Ranked of 434 things to do in Seattle There's an excellent toy store called Magic Mouse in the Pioneer Square area. You could e-mail them and ask if they carry legos. 2 attractions mentioned in this post Ranked of 171 Shopping in Seattle Post #2 beat me to it. Yes Magic Mouse has Lego brand toys. It's a fabulous store, really pretty amazing! corner of 1st Ave So & Yesler Suze - You are the one who told us about it a year or so ago.

It's one of our favorite stores, so glad you mentioned it. I have seen the Lego Space Needle for sale at the Barnes & Noble store at the corner of 7th and Pine. Magic Mouse Toys is an excellent suggestion. Pike Place or Seattle Center areaFirst time visitors to Seattle best weekend trip from Seattle Hotel near Century Link Field Will I be able to catch my flight? Buyers BEWARE: April Travel Insurance / Squaremouth Review Seeking advice for a Seattle/ONP trip with kids in April 1.5 days in Seattle and 1 in Victoria? Warm clothing for inner passage and Canada See All Seattle Conversations Seattle hotel near Pier 91 Best time to Whale Watch in Seattle Best Areas to stay in Seattle Where to stay before cruise departure? transportation from airport to amtrak station In-room Jacuzzi/hot tub in Downtown Seattle? Seattle Hotel near Light RailAn appropriate representation of the requested resource /lego.htm could not be found on this server.