Taking a glance at the clock is probably something us humans do on a regular basis during a normal 24-hour day, however, there are those among us who lacks the same luxury because they are blind. With this in mind, Eone Timepieces designer, Hyungsoo Kim, created a watch known as the Bradley, and it is capable of allowing blind people to read time.
Unlike many watches, the Bradley does not have hands; instead, the designer incorporates two ball bearings to act as hands. According to Kim, one ball bearings act as the minute hand while the other act as the hour hand. In addition, both bearings are connected to the face of the watch by means of magnets, which moves when touched and then fit back into place with a small shake of the wrist.
The design of the Bradley comes to life with the use of Titanium steel, so it should be quite easy to clean. Furthermore, raised hour marks are placed on the top of the Bradley for ease of reading by touch; finally, the designer was wise enough to add textures that distinguish from major to minor marks so users would not end up confused.
The Bradley isn’t the first watch for the blind, and it won’t be the last. However, as of now, the Bradley could end up being the best of them all if the designer sticks to his current plans.
If you’re interested in what Hyungsoo Kim is doing, you can support the Bradley project by funding it on Kickstarter. So far, the Bradley has 650 backers and $100,000 in pledge, which is far more than the $40,000 set goal. In addition, there’s also a touching story video behind the project, you may not cry, but you might just find it interesting.
[via KickStarter]