Braille Playing Music Box

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I Still Hear My Piano Teacher Singing My piano teacher, Mrs. Johnson, would often sing along with me as I practiced my scales. Even though I'm an adult now, I still hear her singing in my head when I play the piano. She had a beautiful voice and always encouraged me to practice every day. Designing the Braille Music Box As an engineer, I've always been fascinated by design and innovation. When I stumbled upon 3D printing, I knew I had to try it out. My first project was designing a braille music box that could be printed at home. I wanted to create something that would allow people who are blind or have low vision to enjoy music in a new way. The Design Process I started by researching existing braille music boxes and identifying areas for improvement. I wanted my design to be compact, easy to use, and affordable. I also considered the materials used in traditional braille music boxes and decided to use 3D printing as a more cost-effective option. Designing the Braille Drum The braille drum is a critical component of the music box, as it raises and lowers the braille dots in sync with the music. I designed the drum to be driven by a cam, which would move the braille dots up and down smoothly. However, when I printed the music drum, I realized that I had modeled the song backwards. This meant that the user had to run the music box backwards to hear the song correctly and forward to read the song in braille correctly. Adding the Braille Hub Frame The Braille Hub frame is a critical component of the music box, as it holds the springs that raise and lower the braille dots. I designed the frame to be modular, so that it could be easily assembled with the other parts of the music box. However, due to time constraints, I omitted the cover for the model. Improving Future Versions I'm excited to share my design with others and see how they improve upon it. In future versions, I plan to include a smoother braille indicating motion, an overall reduction in size, and a modular song design that would allow users to change the song easily. I also plan to optimize the design for printing on a wide range of 3D printers and add indicating marks for easier assembly. Conclusion Designing the braille music box was a challenging but rewarding project. I learned a lot about 3D printing and design, and I'm excited to see where this technology takes us in the future.