Tactile Diagram Workbench
Tactile Diagram Workbench is an open-source braille compiler for blind STEM students.
Core trick
Converts a diagram into a canonical SMILES structure, then renders raised-line SVG for swell paper and .brf braille label files for text embossers.
Description
Tactile Diagram Workbench is an open-source braille compiler for blind STEM students. A teacher can upload a textbook diagram, photograph a hand-drawn sketch, or type a concept like “draw acetone,” and the workbench turns it into an export-ready tactile sheet: raised-line SVG/PDF for swell paper or tactile-graphics embossers, plus .brf braille labels for standard text embossers. Chemistry diagrams use a verified pipeline with canonical SMILES and deterministic structure checks; other STEM diagrams route into a clearly labeled teacher-review draft lane so teachers can still produce usable tactile materials without pretending they are fully verified. The goal is to move tactile STEM diagrams from a weeks-long procurement workflow into the same class period.
README excerpt
# Tactiles STEM diagrams, compiled into raised lines and braille that any embosser can print. [Live demo](https://tactiles.vercel.app/) · [Build brief](docs/brief.md) · [Orchestration](docs/orchestration.md) --- <p align="center"> <img src="docs/images/build-day.png" alt="Claude Build Day · June 13 · San Francisco" width="420"> </p> <p align="center"><em>Built at Anthropic's Claude Build Day · June 13, 2026 · San Francisco</em></p> --- ## What It Does A teacher drops in a diagram from a worksheet, a textbook scan, a whiteboard photo, or a prompt like "draw acetone." The workbench produces: - an A4 SVG/PDF tactile sheet for raised-line printing on swell paper or a tactile-graphics embosser; - a `.brf` braille-label file for standard text embossers; - a visible trust chip that distinguishes verified chemistry from teacher-review drafts. The intended workflow is not a new student-facing app. It is a fast authoring tool for teachers and disability coordinators who already have a printer, embosser, or swell-paper workflow. ## Why It Matters Blind students often receive STEM diagrams days or weeks after the class uses them, if they receive them at all. The alternatives are weak: order a specialist tactile graphic, substitute text for the diagram, or skip the visual structure entirely. This project moves diagrams from a procurement task to a classroom task: upload, verify, adjust, export. ## What Is Verified Today | Input | Route | Output | Trust level | | --- |