Braille printer for visually impaired, Tk 500,000-device available for Tk 28,000

Siddharth Mistri is a student in the Department of Bangla at the University of Chittagong. He has been visually impaired since birth. After overcoming numerous challenges, he secured the opportunity to study at the university. He often has to prepare his own notes and study materials to meet his academic needs.

While others can easily print PDF or Word files and organise their study materials, the process is not so straightforward for him. He needs a specialised printer to print text in Braille, the system designed for visually impaired people, but such printers are extremely expensive.

Considering the difficulties faced by visually impaired students like Siddharth, Professor Md Ahsanullah of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) had taken the initiative to develop a Braille printer.

A team of CUET students, known as 'Sync Robotics', has now turned his long-standing idea into reality. With Professor Ahsanullah’s guidance, they have developed a compact Braille printer named 'Sync V-1'.

They built the device at a cost of just Tk 28,000 as an alternative to conventional Braille printers available in international markets, which cost around Tk 500,000.

Under the guidance of Professor Md Ahsanullah, fourth-year student Sourav Tarafdar from CUET’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering led the team behind the Braille printer. He was joined by Ifaz Hossain, a third-year student in the Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, and Imam Rashid, a first-year student in the Department of Civil Engineering.

The Braille system uses raised dots on paper to represent letters and words. Visually impaired people can read them by feeling the dots with their fingertips.

Producing these dots through conventional methods is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Modern Braille printers, meanwhile, are large and expensive. As a result, many people cannot afford to purchase these machines for personal use.

Professor Ahsanullah began considering the issue around 2005. He explored ways to develop this type of printer at a lower cost. At the time, he and Jahangir Alam, a teacher in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, began research into Bengali Braille technology.

Their goal was to develop a technology for writing in Braille in the Bengali language. They also published a research paper on the subject. However, publishing the paper did not end Professor Ahsanullah’s efforts. He wanted to turn the research concept into a practical device.

Professor Ahsanullah said, “Our main objective was to make this printer accessible to everyone. It would be portable, compact and easy to use. We also considered incorporating voice support and keyboard sounds so that a visually impaired person could edit text and print it independently.”

Professor Ahsanullah said that the availability of Braille books in Bangladesh remained limited. He learnt that Dhaka University previously had a Braille printer donated by the Netherlands Government, but the machine was no longer operational.

Some private organisations import Braille books from abroad and produce books according to specific requirements.

The printing machines they use cost more than Tk 10 million (1 crore). However, people in Bangladesh have virtually no opportunity to produce or print Braille text for personal use.

Users can operate Sync V-1 through dedicated software. When they type text in Bengali or English into the software, it automatically converts the text into Braille characters. They then insert a sheet of paper into the printer, which embosses the text in Braille dots. This eliminates the need to write Braille manually.

Users can also print text extracted from various file formats, including PDF and Word documents, rather than just typed text. The device currently supports Bengali and English.

Professor Ahsanullah said that further software development could make Braille printing available in other languages as well.

One of the device’s key advantages over conventional Braille printers is its compact size and portability. Users can carry it with them according to their needs and print materials whenever required.

Professor Ahsanullah said, “Conventional Braille printers available abroad can cost between USD 2,500 and USD 5,000, or even more. Our aim was to develop an affordable device that individuals could use themselves. Our primary objective is to make educational materials more accessible to visually impaired people.”

Two visually impaired students from the University of Chittagong have already tested the device. One of them is Siddharth Mistri. Pointing out that conventional Braille printers are beyond the reach of ordinary people, he said, “We had to write everything by hand. Very little work is done to address the needs of visually impaired people like us. From that perspective, this is a major innovation for us. Compared with conventional printers, it is easier to use and more user-friendly.”

The other user, Akash Das, also appreciated the device’s portability and practical features. He said, “The device is small and lightweight, so it is easy to carry. Its Braille dots are also clear, making the text easier to read. However, a few more refinements could make it even more effective.”

The initiative to develop an affordable Braille printer has already received national recognition. Competing against 355 projects, 'Sync V-1' emerged as the champion at the Bangladesh ICT and Innovation Awards 2026.

Of the projects submitted this year, 118 were shortlisted for the final evaluation. Ultimately, nine projects were declared champions in different categories. 'Sync V-1' won in the Student—Tertiary, Inclusion and Public Service category.

Alongside this recognition, the team has also earned an opportunity to showcase its innovation internationally. As the winning project, 'Sync V-1' has been nominated to represent Bangladesh at the APICTA Awards 2026.

Sourav Tarafdar, who leads the team, told Prothom Alo, “A country truly progresses when the knowledge and innovations developed in its laboratories do not remain confined to research papers but are translated into practical solutions that make a difference to people's lives. Our Braille printer also began as a research project. Our goal now is to take it beyond the laboratory and make it available to people as an affordable, accessible product that can be manufactured locally.”

In his view, making Braille technology more accessible to visually impaired people would not only expand their educational opportunities but also facilitate skills development and future employment.

However, moving from the research stage to commercial production requires the right partners and investors.

With the necessary support, the team hopes to increase production and make the technology available to more visually impaired people across the country.

The innovators do not intend to stop at developing the printer. They plan to increase its printing speed, introduce wireless connectivity and make it compatible with more languages in the future.

According to Professor Ahsanullah, it would also be possible to incorporate a feature that prints conventional Bengali or English text alongside the Braille version. This would allow visually impaired students who write their answers in Braille to produce a conventional text version at the same time. As a result, they would have less need to rely on someone else to write their answers during examinations.