Robert, while any of the current RP technologies would be useful in that
regard, and some might be cheaper, I have seen some beautiful examples of
topographic maps at Helisys.
Also, although I can't put my fingers on the reference at the moment, I
recall some attempts in Japan to use RP to produce raised relief maps of
neighborhoods, specifically designed for the blind, which not only allowed
them to know the physical shapes of buildings and places, but also included
raised symbols (not Braile in this case, but could have been) to provide
details of what was in the buildings.
One of the great things about CAD and injection molding is that virtually
any product can have design features for the blind added at no cost or
virtually no extra cost to the producer and without detracting from the
product's use by sighted users.
Finally, the notion of universal design is that by making something
easier to use for one group of people with some specific limitation can enhance
its use by everyone else as well. Our sense of touch is not very well
explored. A raised relief map gives me a much different sense for a place
than a flat map. The whole belief behind the future of physical prototyping
is that it gives you a different sense of a product than virtual
prototyping.
Brock Hinzmann
Robert Jaquiss wrote:
>Hello:
>
>
> I would like to contact people who are using RP technology to
produce
>raised relief maps. For those not familiar with the term, a raised
relief
>map shows the actual shape of the land surface. I am interested in this
>because these types of maps are sometimes used as educational tools for
>the blind.
>
> Robert S. Jaquiss Jr.
>
>
>
>
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>Subject: Looking for people involved in producing raised relief maps
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