Brailly began in May 2023 as an EIT Digital Master School project in Paris. The aim was straightforward: explore whether a physical, audio-guided device could make early braille practice feel more playful and independent.
From a student prototype to physical testing
The first version used an RP2040 microcontroller, buttons, motors, an SD card, and locally stored audio. It was deliberately rough. The important question was not whether the enclosure looked finished, but whether the tactile interaction made sense in someone’s hands.
We built several units and tested early prototypes with blind and low-vision participants in Helsinki, working with the Finnish Association of the Visually Impaired. Those conversations reinforced that dot size, tactile clarity, device size, and the tone of spoken feedback all matter.
One braille reader, Manon, described the central idea better than we could:
“I would definitely like to have this cube as a child. Learning braille usually happens through books, which is not as fun as learning by playing.”
Support, workshops, and public events
The Sustainability Action Booster helped fund materials and additional prototypes. The casings were 3D-printed in biodegradable PHA filament, which made it practical to iterate on shape and layout without committing to production tooling.
Brailly also took part in the Aalto Digital Creatives Pre-Incubator and the SIBB Incubator in Berlin with HTW. After the SIBB program, EIT Digital provided €5,000 in project funding. We shared prototype generations publicly at Maker Faire and at the Web Summit Alpha startup booth in Lisbon.
Rebuilding the technical stack
The later prototype moved to an ESP32-S3 and a cloud-connected software stack. The repository now includes device authentication, pairing and job APIs, spoken audio delivery, exercise flows, and a prototype dashboard for reviewing practice sessions.
That software demonstrates the intended system, but Brailly is not a generally available product or an active public pilot. The next substantial hardware step is a custom PCB and a more reliable battery and charging design.
Current status
Brailly is currently an early-stage project rather than a finished commercial product. The physical prototypes, software, user research, incubator work, and public demonstrations are real; production readiness, pricing, and a wider pilot are still future work.
For questions about the project, research, or a future prototype iteration, email info@brailly.eu.