用玩具組裝盲文打印機

In Silicon Valley， it’s never too early to become an entrepreneur[企業家]. Just ask 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee.

The California eighth-grader has launched[開辦] a company to develop low-cost machines to print Braille[盲文]. Tech giant Intel Corp. recently invested[投資] in his start-up， Braigo Labs.

Shubham built a Braille printer with a LEGO robotics kit[成套用具] as a school science fair project in 2014 after he asked his parents a simple question—How do blind people read？“Google it，” they told him.

Shubham then did some online research and was shocked to learn that Braille printers cost at least $2，000， too expensive for most blind readers， especially in developing countries.

“I just thought that price should not be there. I know that there is a simpler way to do this，” said Shubham.

He wants to develop a desktop Braille printer that costs around $350 and weighs just a few kilograms， compared with[與……比較] current models that can weigh more than nine kilograms. The machine could be used to print Braille reading materials on paper， using raised dots instead of ink， from a personal computer or electronic[電子的] device[設備].

“My end goal would probably be having most of the blind people…using my Braille printer，”said Shubham.

After the “Braigo，” a name that combines[結合] Braille and LEGO， won numerous[無數的] awards and support from the blind community[團體]， Shubham started Braigo Labs with a $35，000 investment[投資] from his father.

Shubham used the money to build a more advanced[高級的] version of his printer using an off-the-shelf[現成的] desktop printer and a newlyreleased Intel computer chip[芯片]. The new model， Braigo 2.0， can translate electronic text into Braille before printing.

Intel executives[執行總監] were so impressed with Shubham’s printer that in November they invested in his start-up.

“He’s solving a real problem， and he wants to go off and disrupt an existing industry. And that’s really what it’s all about，” said Edward Ross， director of Inventor Platforms at Intel.

“This Braille printer is a great way for people around the world who really don’t have many resources at all to learn Braille and to use it practically，” said Henry Wedler， who is visually impaired[有視覺障礙的] and has become an adviser to Braigo Labs.

Shubham is too young to be CEO of his own company， so his mother has taken the job， though she admits she wasn’t too supportive when he started the project.

“I’m really proud of Shubham. What he has thought， I think most adults should have thought about it，” Malini Banerjee said. “And coming out of my 13-year-old， I do feel very proud.”

在硅谷，要成為創業家永遠不嫌早，問問13歲的舒布漢姆·班納吉就知道了。

這名正在（美國）加利福尼亞州讀8年級的學生創辦了一家專門開發低成本盲文打印機的公司。科技巨頭英特爾公司最近向這家新成立的公司—“Braigo實驗室”投資了一筆資金。

作為2014年學校一次科技展覽的項目，舒布漢姆利用一套樂高機器人套裝組裝了一部盲文打印機。在此之前，他只是問了父母一個簡單的問題，這個問題就是—盲人是怎樣閱讀的？“去谷歌吧，”父母對他說。

舒布漢姆隨后在網上做了一些調查。他驚訝地發現盲文打印機的售價至少要2000美元，對很多盲人讀者，尤其是發展中國家的盲人來說太貴了。

“我只是覺得價錢不應該那么高。我知道肯定有一個簡單的方法做到，”舒布漢姆說。

他希望開發一臺售價在350美元左右、重量只有幾公斤（現時的盲文打印機重量可超過九公斤）的臺式盲文打印機。這種機器可以連接個人電腦或電子設備，在紙上使用凸起的點來打印盲文閱讀材料，而不是墨水。

“我的最終目標也許是讓大部分盲人……使用我的盲文打印機，”舒布漢姆說。

“Braigo”這個名字由“盲文（Braille）”和“樂高（Lego）”結合而成。在Braigo贏得了無數獎項和盲人團體的支持后，舒布漢姆用父親投資的35000美元開辦了“Braigo實驗室”這家公司。

舒布漢姆用這筆錢制造了一個版本更加先進的盲文打印機，材料是一個現成的臺式打印機和英特爾公司新推出的電子芯片。