Siafu is a PC designed to give people with vision loss or impairment a more intuitive computer experience. It lays flat like a tablet and allows the user to fully interact with it by way of touch. The surface utilizes a conceptual material called magneclay or magnetized liquid. This material has the ability to morph upward into any shape via a controlled electromagnetic field enabling the device to create a braille surface for reading and even pictures in 3D relief.

The technology behind Siafu – Magneclay, is an oil based synthetic agent that possesses limitless morphing capabilities. It has a loose molecular structure but can be infinitely rearranged when acted upon by electrical and magnetic charges. As long as the charges acting upon it remain stable, the magneclay will hold its structural rigidity, allowing it to be touched without deformation.

As for why the device is named after an aggressive African ant? Beats me.

Designer: Jonathan Lucas

Siafu’s magneclay surface can generate full spread braill layouts, allowing users to enjoy reading digital content in a large book style relief.

The surface of Siafu can form a working 9-button braille keyboard. The braille output allows the user to conveniently review what they just typed.

Siaufu also possesses a built-in microphone, which provides an alternative to typing. Its high performance voice recognition software allows the user to simply speak into the mic, and the words are instantly processed into on screen braille relief.

Siafu has the ability to display screen images such as web pages in a bas relief. It can even go one step further and convert all the active text on the screen into translated braille relief.

Siafu utilizes 2-D to 3-D image conversion technology to process screen images. It then generates a 3-Dimensional digital wire frame which is then process through electrical currents into the magneclay. The end result is a highly accurate 3-Dimensional representation of the image.