California Teenager, 13, Helps Blind Community With Low-Cost Braille Printer Built From Lego Kit

In Silicon Valley, beginning a career as an entrepreneur at any age is encouraged and supported. Just ask thirteen-year-old Shubham Banerjee for his opinion on the matter. The California eighth-grader has founded a firm intending to develop low-cost equipment to print braille, which is a tactile writing method designed for people who are blind or visually challenged. 

Believe it or not, Shubham’s incredible invention started with a simple question. As a child, he always wondered how blind people are able to read. His parents, of course, didn’t want to give a simple one-word answer, so they told the curious Shubham to look it up online.

Among the 1.3 million blind people in the United States, only around 10 percent can read Braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind. In the 1950s, however, over half of the blind youngsters were able to learn to read the elevated ridges.

The development of new assistive technologies has contributed, at least partly, to bring about this shift. For example, voice-to-text software has brought about significant improvements in the quality of life for visually impaired people during the past ten years.

Interestingly, software programs are available that can read aloud material, and most consumer hardware devices, such as smartphones and tablets, come pre-loaded with software that can answer queries or deliver snippets of information. 

As Shubham Banerjee sought inspiration for an innovative engineering project in January 2014, he stumbled upon a trove of fascinating facts that were too good to ignore. Thus began his journey toward planning the perfect science fair entry!

The young kid, who was only 12 years old at the time, realized that although many individuals have gadgets capable of reading aloud in some capacity, presuming that voice-to-text should replace Braille is an expensive concept many people just cannot afford.

All these issues were apparent, but Shubham was taken aback to discover that Braille printers, nicknamed embossers, cost no less than two grand—an unrealistic expense for most blind readers worldwide, particularly in poorer nations. Even some public schools can only dream of having Braille printers.

After several weeks of trial and error, Banerjee crafted a successful prototype with the help of a Lego Mindstorms EV3 robotics kit and just a few dollars’ worth of electrical components. His creation was capable of producing the distinctive six dots which comprise Braille’s symbolic language— it’s an impressive feat by all accounts!

Shubham was passionate about technology, so much so that he was often up late into the night, working on his project with his mentor and father, Neil, who was an expert software engineer and loving father figure at his side. Together they turned their kitchen table into a hub of cutting-edge innovation.

Thanks to his encouraging parents’ support, Shubham could explore the realm of robotics with ease—spending just $350 on a Mindstorms kit. It wasn’t a rocket science solution, but it’s one step closer to making his vision a reality.

True enough, Shubham is disrupting the status quo with their new Braille printer—a light and affordable solution giving those who are visually impaired an opportunity to read the information in an accessible way. 

At that point, his family knew this creation was too incredible to keep under wraps. As such, they took the next best step possible. Banerjee unveiled his revolutionary invention at the 2014 Synopsis Science Fair, a countywide event for students in Santa Clara County, California, and was rewarded with the highest accolade on offer: 

Braigo, a revolutionary invention by Shubham Banerjee, swept away the competition with its awe-inspiring ability to print, standing tall amongst engineering projects like radar rock mapping and electricity-generating shoes. His extraordinary vision earned him $500 in prize money! 

The then-thirteen-year-old Shubham Banerjee is revolutionizing the world of accessibility for those with vision impairments. Developing Braigo, a low-cost Braille printer that looks like any other modern device but produces raised bumps instead of flat text on paper, this Santa Clara freshman has made strides in increasing access to information and knowledge around the globe.

After his incredible invention, Braigo, a clever combination of Braille and Lego, garnered enthusiastic support from the blind community and awards aplenty, Shubham Banerjee got an even bigger show of confidence. His father, Neil—an Intel engineer—invested $35K to help launch Braigo Labs in the past few months. 

It’s only been a few months since Shubham showed the world what he was capable of, and now he’s got another invention brewing up his sleeve. With the help of an Intel computer chip and a desktop printer, Shubham took his Lego-based printer one step further. 

With the promise of his creation, a young inventor secured venture capital to make it come alive. Intel Capital took note and provided Braigo with generous funding, giving rise to an engineering team that would continue developing this innovative prototype.

In 2014, Shubham Banerjee stepped up to the plate and wowed technologists at the Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco with his innovative prototype of Braigo v2.0, a project he had been working on since early 2013 using Intel’s Edison microprocessor. 

At this point, we can all agree that Braigo Labs is on a mission to revolutionize access for the visually impaired. With funds they’ve raised, Braigo has tapped experienced engineers and advisors in order to make Shubham’s vision of creating accessible, affordable 3D-printed Braille printers achievable. 

There’s no denying that Shubham is a young man with a promising future, and those who’ve seen his work agree that he will only do more extraordinary things from here. A guy named Henry Wedler, a blind doctoral chemistry student at UC Davis and Braigo Labs advisor, recognizes the impact of this incredible Braille printer. 

Lisamaria Martinez, the community services director at San Francisco’s Lighthouse for the Blind, expresses enthusiasm over a new affordable printer that would revolutionize life for visually impaired readers. It could easily print out essential household documents like letters and shopping lists in Braille, allowing them to live more independent lives without extra support or assistance. 

Technology can often be a distant dream for many in the blind community due to prohibitive costs, lack of state aid, and restricted job placements. For those who don’t meet specific criteria, Braille printer access is especially rare. That is, until now. With new low-cost options available on the market, these life-changing devices are becoming more accessible than ever before, revolutionizing independence within this remarkable group of people. 

From a young age, Shubham has shown an incredible drive and ambition to be successful. Despite his youth hindering him from becoming the CEO of his own company, he forged ahead with a passion that amazed even his mother, Malini Banerjee. With her newfound pride for this 13-year-old’s initiative, she believes others should strive to reach beyond what they think is possible in life, as Shubham has done.

Neil Banerjee, the father of the brilliant Braigo inventor Shubham, encourages his son to continue innovating with technology, not just because it can lead to amazing inventions like Braigo but also so that everyone has access without feeling burdened by the high cost.

Like any proud parent, Neil Banerjee can’t help but share more updates about his son’s legendary work. The savvy director of Braigo Labs’ board and father to its founder Shubham recently announced they had patented four projects with more in the works. Taking pride in their innovative endeavors as a company, he also shared that both “Braigo” and “Braigo Labs” are registered trademarks. 

As expected, Shubham Banerjee is bringing the power of innovation to America’s heartland! He will be showcasing his Braigo printer at the Smithsonian Institution and US Patent & Trademark Office Innovation Festival—a celebration dedicated to American creativity, featuring inventions from independent minds, universities, companies, and government agencies alike. 

Despite having developed a buzzworthy invention, Shubham prefers to stay humble and understated. When his football teammates discovered that genius was among them, they had some good-natured fun at his expense, but other than that minor ribbing, he remained unaffected by the attention around him. 

What Shubham has done so far is nothing short of impressive, but what’s even more remarkable is how this eighth grader is leading the charge in revolutionizing braille printing by developing a simple and low-cost solution. 

At just 18 years old, Banerjee is already inspiring his peers to make a meaningful mark on the world around them. His advice? Think outside the box and come up with an original idea that can benefit everyone in society, something no one has done before!