A low-data, low-cost, and open-source workflow for 3D printing lithographs for digital accessibility of microscopy images
This work addresses accessibility for visually impaired individuals by providing a tactile method to interpret microscopy images, though it is incremental as it builds on existing 3D printing and lithography techniques.
The paper tackles the problem of making complex microscopy images accessible by developing a workflow for producing low-data, low-cost, and open-source lithograph files for 3D printing, enabling tactile exploration of biological structures at a cost of 0.75 USD per print using files under 100 Mb.
Describe an animal without using the verb look. Can you effectively provide an alternative method for interpreting complex microscopy images while preserving the length scale? The world is filled with features too small for our eyes to see: the setae on a gecko's feet, the cuticles covering a rat's whisker, or the fuzziness of a bat's wing. Furthermore, these structures are non-homogeneous, often shifting from stiff to soft. We provide a workflow for producing low-data, low-cost, and open-source lithograph files, allowing tactile accessibility in microscopy images. The lithographs made with this workflow can be printed on a 350 USD 3D printer using 3D files under 100 Mb, for a total cost per print of 0.75 USD. This work seeks to leverage advanced 3D printing to create tactile graphics and art that make science more accessible and enable tactile exploration of biological structures. This framework in this text is aligned with a GitHub repository that will be constantly updated, allowing tactile media to be created as 3D printing and lithography become more streamlined in the years to come.