Today, LEGO announced a key step in further opening its play experiences to builders with visual impairments, as the company is beginning trials of a new system to aid those with visual disabilities in following LEGO instructions. Called LEGO Audio & Braille Building Instructions, the system uses AI to pair digital traditional-style visual instructions with verbal or tactile Braille directions, and was developed in collaboration with life-long LEGO fan Matthew Shifrin, who is blind. Matthew has been creating his own accessible instructions for years, which are available for free on legofortheblind.com. Similarly, the official instructions created by the new AI-driven program will be available for free from legoaudioinstructions.com. Still in an early trial phase, the system only supports a handful of sets at present while the development team seeks feedback from users. The team then plans to implement the feedback and add more sets in the first half of 2020, with an eventual goal of supporting all new LEGO product launches.
In a separate initiative to create greater accessibility for their products, earlier this year LEGO announced the production of Braille Bricks, a collection of 63 new elements that feature LEGO studs arranged as Braille dots. Developed by The LEGO Foundation, the sets aim to aid in teaching visually impaired children how to read, by making arranging letters and words both easy and fun. Each set contains about 250 bricks in five colors, spread across the alphabet, along with numbers and a few important symbols. The sets will be available in a variety of languages and will be provided for free to visually impaired students through a network of schools around the world. It’s unclear if The LEGO Foundation has any plans to make the Braille Bricks available outside of the school program.
Read the full press release below:
Inspired by blind entrepreneur, Matthew Shifrin, the new building instructions will help children with vision impairment build and learn through play using LEGO bricks
Billund, Denmark August 28: What started as a kind gesture between friends living just outside Boston, US, is today being rolled out as a global pilot by the LEGO Group – using AI technology the initiative aims to make the LEGO play experience more accessible for those with vision impairment. We call it: LEGO® Audio & Braille Building Instructions.
The idea comes from Matthew Shifrin, who was born blind. As a child, he developed a strong passion for LEGO play. However, he always needed assistance when it came to specific LEGO building instructions.
“I had a friend, Lilya, who would write down all the building steps for me so that I could upload them into a system that allowed me to read the building steps on a Braille reader through my fingers. She learned Braille to engage with me and support my LEGO passion, and then spent countless hours translating LEGO instructions into Braille”.
Shifrin would pore over his customized instructions to create models such as the LEGO Creator Expert Sydney Opera House and London Tower Bridge, the latter of which required over 850 pages. For the first time ever, he was able to build LEGO sets by himself without being dependent on someone else guiding him through the instructions.
“This is extremely important for blind children because there aren’t a lot of places where we can say, ‘Look Mom and Dad! I built this on my own… I did this’“ says Shifrin. “For blind children, we don’t have access to what sighted kids are used to. LEGO bricks enable us to learn about our environment, to see the world. It is so important because blind kids get left out of a lot of social stuff, especially in elementary school. But LEGO building is one of the things we can do.”
When Lilya sadly passed away in 2017 Matthew was inspired to honour her memory by ensuring others benefitted from her idea of creating LEGO building instructions for those with no or limited sight. Through a friend at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab, he was then introduced to the Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group.
The team took his idea to the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence who developed new AI software to translate LXFML data (LEGO Exchange Format Mel Script) from the visual digital building instructions to text based descriptions for braille and voice commanded instructions.
“Matthew’s story demonstrates the power of LEGO play. It brings people together, helps to build confidence and sparks creativity. It has been an honour to work with Matthew, his passion and energy are truly inspiring. But most importantly his project will help visually impaired children around the world experience the same joy of building and pride of creation that all our fans feel”, says Fenella Blaize Charity, Creative Director, LEGO Group.
Available in English as a free service for all through the accessible website www.legoaudioinstructions.com, the first four instructions to be launched include a set from LEGO® Classic, LEGO® CITY, LEGO® Friends and LEGO® Movie 2™. Consumers can either chose to hear audio instructions using their screen reader or with audio provided by the LEGO Group, or alternatively chose to read the instructions using a Braille reader. Depending on consumer feedback on the four pilot instructions, which will be collected until the end of 2019, the intention is to launch more Audio & Braille instructions first half of 2020.
While these instructions show radical innovation, there’s still a lot of progress to be made in terms of further developing the AI software and automating the process. The long term ambition is to add more languages and support all future product launches – most importantly however, is to ensure fun and high quality learning through play experiences.
The pilot launches just four months after LEGO Braille Bricks were announced – an initiative aimed at supporting young children with vision impairment to learn Braille in a playful and inclusive way. Co-developed with the LEGO Group, both projects have been funded by the LEGO Foundation.
“As I build a set I develop a better sense of what a building looks like and how it is laid out and constructed. For blind people LEGO sets act as miniature 3D substitutes for real-life buildings in lieu of two-dimensional photographs. LEGO bricks allow me to see things that are impossible to explore by touch, such as the arches of a Middle Eastern palace or the towers of the London Tower Bridge.
I would like to get my instructions out to the blind community. I would like every blind person to be able to download the instructions, buy a set, have a sighted person sort the pieces, and feel on par with a sighted builder. I want every blind person to feel that the once impossible is now possible; that he or she can now build a miniature LEGO world.”
– Matthew Shifrin
Explore Matthew’s original work here: legofortheblind.com/instructions/, but please note these instructions are recommended mainly for advanced builders.
FACTS:
- The four sets included as part of the pilot rollout are:
- 11001 LEGO® Bricks and Ideas LEGO® Classic
- 41365 LEGO® Friends Emma’s Art Shop
- 60207 LEGO® City Sky Police Drone Chase
- 70821 The LEGO® Movie 2™ Emmet and Benny’s ‘Build and Fix’ Workshop!
- Pilot phase is August 28 – Dec 31
- How it works: AI software translates LXFML data (LEGO Exchange Format Mel Script) from visual instructions to text based descriptions for braille and voice commanded instructions
- The instructions will be available in all markets through www.legoaudioinstructions.com as a free service for all and new instructions are expected to launch on the same site early 2020
About the LEGO Foundation:
The LEGO Foundation aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow; a mission that it shares with the LEGO Group. The LEGO Foundation is dedicated to building a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners. Its work is about re-defining play and re-imagining learning. In collaboration with thought leaders, influencers, educators and parents the LEGO Foundation aims to equip, inspire and activate champions for play. www.LEGOFoundation.com
About Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence
The Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (OFAI) is one of Europe’s leading non-profit contract research institutions. Since 1984, it has been cooperating with international and national organizations, companies, universities and research institutes from almost 30 countries. It is a research institute of the Austrian Society for Cybernetics (OSGK), a registered scientific society founded in 1969. In solving the problems of its partners, OFAI uses methods like machine learning and data mining, language and speech technology, neural networks, intelligent software agents and other software technologies, with many of the underlying methods developed in-house. Services range from consultancy, basic and applied research on a contractual base, to working as partner or prime contractor in scientific projects on national or European level, with 35 years of experience in a diversity of domains.
