The Tree

2010, Industrial Design

A concept for a non-visual computer interface.

Designed with the visually impaired in mind, this device converts common computer functions into manipulatable objects projected from the computer’s housing. Each object represents an application, by rotating, pressing and using touch gestures, an applications functions are spoken to the user. With speech recognition and screen reading technology, The Tree provides an audio breakdown of a web pages content.

The technology for this is mostly in extant, screen readers and voice recognition are already popular tools for non-visual computer use, but by creating a standard device with physical controls, developers can more easily create apps for both the visually impaired and for regular users who want to be ‘liberated from the screen.’

Designed to be used whilst standing, this computer would make a fascinating parallel to regular computer design, which increasingly is based exclusively on the visual sense. Extremely easy to produce and low cost, it could augment regular computers within an office, providing large health and well-being benefits to conventional users, as well as opening up a more convenient internet experience to the many millions of visually impaired users across the world.