Cool Hunting

CDs and DVDs not only look alike, but also feel alike. Imagine not being able to see the words "CD" or "DVD" printed on the disc. How would you know what it was? You wouldn't! To help blind consumers, Japan's Mitsubishi Kagaku Media has released CD-R with braille on the disc's surface. Each CD holds 700MB of data, and they are packaged 10 discs to a box. To create the braille characters, two layers of Mitsubishi Kagaku-developed high viscosity ink were used. The discs are also covered in a special gloss to make them more tactile. Japan in general shows great consideration towards its blind citizens, going as far as to place special paths with raised bumps on sidewalks and train platforms for them to use as a guide and to outfit crosswalks with beeping noises to indicate when it is safe to cross. Just another example.

by Brian Ashcraft