Google has a pretty cool looking Doodle, special logo, on their home page to celebrate the life and contributions of the Japanese inventor Seiichi Miyake. The logo shows of his invention, the tactile blocks or Tenji blocks, to help the visually impaired.
Google wrote:
Today’s animated Doodle celebrates Japanese inventor Seiichi Miyake, whose desire to help a close friend turned into an innovation that drastically improved the way those who are visually impaired navigate public spaces around the globe.In 1965, Miyake spent his own money to invent tactile blocks (or Tenji blocks as they were originally known) to help a friend whose vision was becoming impaired. The blocks come in two predominant types: one with dots, and the other with bars. The dotted blocks alert the visually impaired when they are approaching danger, and can often be found at the edges of crosswalks and railway platforms. The barred blocks provide directional cues, letting users know that they are following a safe path.
According to Wikipedia In 1965, Seiichi Miyake used his money to create tactile bricks. This block has two main types, one has floating circles and the other has vertical bars. A block with a vertical bar means that you can safely go forward and a block with floating circles means you need to pay attention. Two years later, on March 18, 1967, Okayama City (western Japan) was the first place to install this invention for visually impaired people. 10 years later, thanks to its benefits and usability, tactile bricks became mandatory works in the Japan National Railway.
He lived from 1926 to 1982.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
