Revival of a 19th century art form to create tangible scientific drawings for the blind

Zoom / 3D-printed lithophane could help scientists with visual impairments “see” data, such as those in protein-separating gels, at their fingertips.

Ordan Kohn / Brian Shaw

In the nineteenth century, an art form was known as Lithovan It was all the rage in Western Europe. These delicate carvings were generally made of translucent materials such as porcelain or wax. When backlit, a brilliant three-dimensional image appeared and changed its properties in response to differences in the light source. Today, researchers have revived this art form to create touch graphics to illustrate scientific data that shines in high resolution. according to last article Published in Science Advances, this lithophane is available to the sighted and the visually impaired, making it a universal tool for scientific data visualization.

“This research is an example of the art that makes science more accessible and comprehensive. Art keeps science from itself.” Co-writer Brian Shaw said:, a biochemist at Baylor. “Scientific data and images – for example, the stunning images from the new Webb Telescope – are inaccessible to blind people. However, we show that thin, transparent haptic graphics, called lithophanes, can make all of these images accessible to everyone, regardless of view. As we like to say, “data for everyone”.

The word “lithophane” comes from the Greek Litho (stone or boulder) and mortals (to appear), popularly translated as “light in stone”. The roots of this art form can be traced back to ancient China, which dates back as far as 1,000 years before the Tang Dynasty. (Historical sources describe thin paper bowls with hidden decorations.) But to this day, actual lithophane is not known to have existed in China prior to 1800.

Who exactly mastered the process of making lithophane is still debated among historians. A common process in the 19th century was to etch a three-dimensional design into a thin sheet of wax or translucent porcelain using a piece of cloth. Comforts And engraving printing techniques. More light will shine through the parts of the statue where the wax was thinnest.

Ancient Japanese mugs, showing small pieces of checkers
3D printed lithographs from famous photographs created between 1926 and 1977.

NASA/Public Domain

The thickness of this lithophane was between sixteenths of an inch and a quarter of an inch. They were displayed as paintings hung in windows or in front of shields with candles lit behind them as a source of light. Lithophanes can also be used as night lights, fireplace screens, to warm tea, or as embellishment embossed with dramatic pictures. American industrial Samuel Colt He filled his home in Hartford, Connecticut, with more than 100 lithophanes and made 111 copies of lithophanes from a picture of himself to give to friends and colleagues.

This technology was no longer preferred after the invention of photography, but the advent of 3D printing has revived interest. Today, lithophane is typically made with plastic, and 3D printed from any 2D image that’s been converted into a 3D topographer, according to Shaw and co-authors, which they did using free online software. Four of these co-authors were blind from birth or childhood, but still successfully completed their Ph.D. But these are rare examples. Finding a way to create scientific tactile infographics that blind and sighted people can use would remove a long-standing barrier that prevents many visually impaired from accessing science.