Dat Braille Display Named Time's Invention of the Year

The innovative digital braille device for the visually impaired, 'Monarch,' has been named to TIME's 'Best Inventions of 2025' list, drawing global attention. Its outstanding innovativeness has been particularly recognized in the accessibility category. Monarch, equipped with advanced 'Dot Cell' technology from Dot, a company specializing in haptic displays, is a tablet-type device created by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), featuring an impressive 3,840 built-in electromagnetic pins. These pins go beyond simply displaying braille text, offering the remarkable ability to vividly transform complex visual information such as graphs, maps, and diagrams into tactile experiences. Surpassing the limitations of traditional braille displays which were confined to single-line text displays, Monarch is opening up unprecedented learning horizons for visually impaired learners. As Greg Stilson, APH's Head of Product Innovation, stated, "Our goal was to create an iPad for the visually impaired," Monarch is establishing itself as a powerful learning platform for educational equality. Already actively utilized in approximately 1,100 classrooms across the United States, it is providing substantial assistance to over 20% of visually impaired students in the U.S. who require braille learning materials. In traditional braille books, image and graphic information was often omitted, significantly limiting visually impaired students' access to learning in subjects like math, science, and geography, which rely heavily on visual aids. Monarch is solving this problem. Through this, it is greatly contributing to bridging the learning gap and providing equal educational opportunities. Dot CEO Kim Joo-yoon expressed his ambition to "provide equal learning opportunities through inclusive innovation," while CEO Sung Ki-kwang presented the vision to "develop next-generation products combining AI, haptic, and voice technologies," raising expectations for the future. Dot is currently supplying 'DotPad' and 'Monarch' to global public and educational institutions, and is actively working towards the development of 3rd generation haptic displays and targeting a listing on the Korean KOSDAQ market in the first half of 2026.