An Award-Winning Braille Reader for Children
Our Solution
How we designed the category-first, edTech device enabling visually impaired children access educational content
The Result
A carefully balanced blend of toughness and approachability, it has opened a new category of products in education for the visually impaired.
Why It Matters
Purpose-built for children, designed for life.
Â
Bringing books to life for blind students, one touch at a time.
Vembi Technologies is a Bengaluru-based company focused on making education accessible through inclusive technology. Their mission is to remove barriers for visually impaired children by creating tools that make learning seamless, affordable, and empowering. With Hexis, Vembi set out to tackle one of the biggest challenges in special education: the lack of good books and affordable tools for blind students to read and learn on par with their peers.
THE CHALLENGE
Accessible Reading Without Cost Barriers
For blind students, access to books is often restricted by costly embossers, special paper, and time-consuming processes. Vembi’s vision was to create an electronic Braille reader that could instantly convert any text into Braille, across Indian languages and English, and make it portable enough for children to carry
For us as designers and engineers, the challenge was twofold:
- Ruggedness: The device needed to withstand knocks and drops from school desks, yet remain light and easy to handle for children.
- Affordability: Tooling and production costs had to stay low to keep Hexis accessible to schools and families.
- Portability: It had to be intuitive to carry and comfortable for extended reading sessions.
OUR APPROACH
Touch-Led Design for Young Readers
We began by studying how children read Braille in real school environments. Blind students often have a heightened sense of touch, so every surface, edge, and contour mattered.
- Soft, Rounded Form: We created a smooth, tactile-friendly body that felt safe and approachable.
- Reading Orientation: To guide finger movement, we sculpted a gentle slope toward the Braille display in the reading direction, and a sharp drop at the other edge to signal where to stop.
Â
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Designed for Real School Use
Built-In Carry Handle
An integrated handle makes Hexis easy to grab, slide your hand into, and carry between classes.
Guided Reading Slope
A gentle slope towards the Braille display guides fingers naturally in the right direction, while a sharp drop on the opposite edge signals where to stop.
Spill-Resistant Charging Ports
Ports are placed and shielded to prevent accidental water entry, protecting the electronics from everyday mishaps.
Child-Friendly Durability
Rugged enough to withstand drops from school desks, without adding unnecessary weight or cost.
THE OUTCOME
Empowering Independent Learning at Scale
Its impact has been recognized globally with multiple awards and grants, including:
- Microsoft AI for Accessibility Grant
- Elevate 100 Grant (Govt of Karnataka)
- YSE Award (Singapore)
It is now supported by leading foundations and CSR initiatives such as Microsoft CSR India, Cognizant Foundation, and Vision Empower Trust, making Hexis a benchmark in inclusive educational technology.