Are Looking for Orbit Teacher Support?
The unique platform enables teachers in mainstream classrooms to seamlessly interact with blind students through an app on a smartphone, computer or tablet. The app connects over Bluetooth to the student’s Orbit Reader 20 braille display and provides a real-time text translation of the braille being read or written by the student on the device.
Help and Guidance
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much does an Orbit Teacher app cost?
This Application is free
Should I get an Android or iOS app?
This application works on Android version 4.4 or higher
How often should I update this application?
You can update after every 3 months
What problem does this application solve?
The app connects over Bluetooth to the student’s Orbit Reader 20 braille display and provides a real-time text translation of the braille being read or
written by the student on the device.
What is so special about the Orbit Teacher app?
It works in online and offline mode
Where is this app available?
This app is available on the Google Play Store.
How can I get the license key for this app?
To obtain the license key, one should contact techsupport@orbitresearch.com by providing the following details:
- Your name
- Serial number of device
- Address
- Email id
- Phone number
- Organization (if you represent any)
The license number will be shared by mail within 3 working business days
What is the difference between online and offline modes? And how is useful?
In online mode, you have to connect your Orbit Reader 20 (OR-20) and Orbit Teacher over Bluetooth.
- Once it is connected, the OR-20 braille display is mirrored on the Orbit Teacher application. Anything that you see on your Orbit Reader’s display in braille, is shown on your Orbit Teacher as well, in both text and braille
- In offline mode, you do not need to connect your Orbit Reader 20 with the Orbit Teacher. Offline mode allows you to browse files from the local storage of your Android device and read the file with navigation options similar to the OR-20. It is intended for reading files.
While installation of the app does it ask for permission?
Yes, it does ask for the following permission:
- Access Bluetooth Settings: This permission is required so that if the Bluetooth is turned off at the time of using the Orbit Teacher, it can request the user to turn on the Bluetooth.
- Approximate Location: This Permission is required because Android relies on-location services to retrieve the identity of the nearby Bluetooth devices.
- Storage: The application needs permission to let to read a text/BRF file from the storage. The application will not modify or delete any storage contents.
Note: On denying any of the above permissions, the application will not work properly.
Which file formats are supported by the Orbit Teacher application?
It supports the following file formats:
- TXT
- BRF
- BRA
- BRL
Can I transfer the files through this application?
Yes, files can be transferred from the Orbit Teacher application to Orbit Reader 20 and vice versa.
What should be done if OR 20 unit is unable to pair with the Android device?
Rebooting the Android device; Reset the OR-20 unit and try again.
What should be done if OR 20 unit is unable to connect with the Android device?
- Check to make sure that the OR-20 unit is not in sleep mode and is not connected with any other device, screen-reader software, or any other application through Bluetooth.
- Reset the OR-20 unit and try again
What is the broadcast feature on the Orbit Teacher application?
- Broadcast mode allows Orbit Reader 20 to be connected with up to 7 Orbit Teacher applications running on different android devices over Bluetooth.
- It can send messages to all the connected Orbit Teacher applications. This feature can be enabled from OR-20.
What does the Orbit Teacher application do?
- Enables teachers in mainstream classrooms to seamlessly interact with blind students through an app on a smartphone, computer, or tablet.
- Connects over Bluetooth to the student’s Orbit Reader 20 braille display and provides a real-time text translation of the braille being read or written by the student on the device.
- Provides a student the ability to first learn braille if they are not braille users and then to learn other subjects using braille.
- Provides the ability to develop and deliver educational materials in the form of interactive lessons and tutorials.
- The platform also provides remote operation capabilities which allow a teacher to easily provide instruction to students in remote locations.
- A content authoring tool for the platform enables anyone to create interactive lessons and tutorials, with minimal training.
Where and when the application be used?
- In the classroom where TVI wishes to monitor live the assignments visually impaired student is doing on his Orbit Reader 20 through online mode.
- Where TVI wishes to review the homework or assignments done by students later through offline mode.
- By family members and well-wishers helping visually impaired students with their homework and assignments through online or offline mode.
- Visually impaired teachers working with sighted students, can prepare content in braille and show it to the students in text over a smartphone, computer, or tablet.
What other features are available?
- A file transfer feature is also available to exchange files between the Orbit Reader 20 and the phone or tablet
- Can display visual text contents for the BRF files of multiple languages
- It has a broadcast mode that enables a single Orbit Reader 20 to be connected to multiple Hosts and share the Orbit Reader 20 display with multiple applications
- Audio and speech capabilities from the smartphone, PC, or tablet to provide audio cues and feedback to the student when used in the interactive self-learning mode
- Support for Over 40 languages
How does the Orbit Teacher application work?
- The app connects over Bluetooth with the Orbit Reader 20
- When the user reads/writes on the Orbit Reader, the Orbit Reader 20 display screen content is transmitted to the phone or tablet and instantly displayed on the app and
- shown as braille as well as visual text.
I am a visually impaired Teacher working with sighted students, Is this application helpful to me?
Yes, this application will let you read your content in braille, while students can read the same contents in the text by connecting the PC on which the application is running to the projector.
What features are going to be available in near future?
- Remote operation capabilities which would allow a TVI to easily provide instruction to students in remote locations.
- Interactive features on the app using which TVI can have control over the Orbit Reader 20 and can perform operations or edits using the app itself.
Is it possible for a teacher to send a file remotely while a student is at home and the teacher is elsewhere?
No, at present, the file can be transferred only within the standard Bluetooth range. However, the file can be transferred to a PC or Mobile using the app and then can be sent to the Teacher remotely over email or other means working over the internet.
Does it only transfer files from the pc to the Orbit Reader directly to the SD card, or can the student send files to the program as well?
Files can be transferred either way i.e., from Program to Orbit Reader and vice versa.
When will it be available and what is the price?
- The App is available NOW and is FREE! It can be downloaded from the Google Play store at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.orbitteacher
- An Android version is available at this time. In the future we may introduce an iOS version also
- A bundle consisting of an Orbit Reader 20, an Android tablet, and the app pre-loaded is also available for $699 (retail). This is by far the most affordable communications solution available for deaf-blind individuals, by an order of magnitude.
Why does the application require a free license?
For our internal purposes, we wish to know the actual numbers of users who are using the platform. We wish to collect feedback from them as well.
How should multiple teachers deal with the license when having multiple computers and Android devices?
License for the single unit can be activated on multiple Android or Windows devices. There is no limit on that. Infect, the same license key can be used to activate support on multiple mobiles and PCs too for the windows version.
Is there an Orbit-Teacher app available for iPhone?
Support for the Orbit Teacher on other operating systems, including iOS, is planned. We would like to invite feedback from users about which operating systems they would like to see supported and will keep you updated.
Are you planning to develop a localized version of the user interface of the application?
We can do so provided the required funding is available.
What languages are supported at present?
- If you are reading text file on Orbit Reader 20, they are shown correctly as it is on the app.
- If you are reading BRF files, they need to be back-translated before the textual content can be shown. Following languages are supported for the back-translation at present.
| English UK Grade-1 | Hebrew 8-dot | Korean Grade-1 | English UEB Grade-1 | Finnish 8-dot computer braille |
| English UK Grade-2 | Turkish 8-dot | Korean Grade-2 | English UEB Grade-2 | Swedish 8-dot computer braille |
| Russian computer braille | Turkish Grade-1 | English (BANA)Grade 1 | Dutch Grade-1 (Netherland) | Swedish Grade-1 |
| Russian Grade-1 | Turkish Grade-2 | English (BANA) 8-dot Computer Braille | Dutch Grade-1 (Belgium) | Hungarian 8-dot computer braille |
| Iraq Grade-1 | German 8 dot computer braille | French 6 dots Braille | Bulgarian | Hungarian Grade-1 |
| Persian 8 dot fa | German Grade-1 | French Grade-2 | Croatian 8-dot computer braille | Hungarian Grade-2 |
| Persian 6 dot fa | German Grade-2 | French 8-dot computer braille | Croatian Grade-1 | Assamese |
| Portuguese 8-dot pt. | Chinese (China) Grade-1 | Spanish 8-dot computer braille | Ancient Greek | Awadhi |
| Portuguese 6-dot Grade-1 | Chinese (Taiwan) Grade-1 | Spanish Grade-1 | Amharic 8-dot computer braille | Bengali |
| Portuguese 6-dot Grade-2 | Chinese (Hong Kong) Grade-1 | Spanish Grade-2 | Amharic Grade-1 | Bihari |
| Braj | Dravidian | Gondi | Gujarati | Gurumukhi |
| Hindi | Kannada | Kashmiri | Konkani | Kurukh |
| Malayalam | Manipuri | Marathi | Marwari | Munda |
| Oriya | Pali | Punjabi | Sanskrit | Sindhi |
| Tamil | Telugu | Mongolia Grade-1 | Mongolia Grade-2 | Nepali Grade 1 |
| Norwegian grade 1 | Norwegian grade 2 | Norwegian computer braille | Urdu 6 Dot Grade 1 | Urdu 6 Dot Grade 2 |
| Polish computer braille | Polish Grade 1 | Romanian computer braille | Slovak Braille | Slovak Braille Grade-1 |
| Slovak Braille |
How to request additional language support?
Please write to us at techsupport@orbitresearch.com
How to provide feedback on the app?
Please write to us at techsupport@orbitresearch.com
Whom to contact for requesting customization and related commercial aspects?
Please write to us at techsupport@orbitresearch.com
Packages
Documentation
Need More Help?
For customer service and technical support, please contact the distributor from whom you purchased the product.
If you purchased the product directly from Orbit Research, please contact us at
