Google Doodle Today: Honouring Oskar Picht, a German inventor behind the first braille typewriter

Google Doodle Today honours Oskar Picht, the German inventor behind the first braille typewriter. The remarkable invention brought inclusivity to blind people, enabling them to type faster and more accurately.

Google Doodle Today

The latest edition of Google's improvised search engine icon features a bronze typewriter engraved in braille on a bronze slab. Additionally, viewers can find icons of stationary items and tools like screw driver, etc.

About Google Doodle Today

The unique doodle was created by Kiel-based artist Ute Dietz. The main inspiration behind the key elements in the doodle was inspired from the achievement and artwork of Oskar Picht. To provide an equitable, legible and interesting tactile Google Doodle experience for blind people, the artwork is available for visitors in Munich. The artwork, has been permanently installed at the first Accessibility Discover Center in the Google Munich offices.

Who is Oskar Picht, inventor of braille typewriter?

Oskar Picht was a German teacher and inventor who found immense interest in blind teaching. Born in Germany's Hamburg in 1871, Picht became a teacher immediately after schooling. After a few years, he realised his increased interest in blind education. As a result, he attended the State Institute for the Blind in Berlin-Steglitz for two years to learn more about the field.

Picht developed his first braille writer in 1899 and also received a patent for it in 1901. To make the typewriter more useful for the blind and improve its accessibility, Picht continued to make improvements and modifications for decades. His thirty years of hard work and determination yielded fruitful results when he received another patent for braille typewriter in 1931. 

How was the new typewriter different from the old one?

The upgraded machine, which was patented in 1931, had six keys with different combinations of depressed dots that could also indent a sheet of paper. The modification made it more easier for blind people to type easily. 

In addition to the invention of the typewriter, Picht remained an avid supporter of blind education. He has also served as the director for the Blind Institution in Bromberg (1910-1912) and his alma mater (1920-1933). His other significant work in the field of blind education includes the first-ever radio lecture about the blind. He also spent his life working to ensure blind people had access to quality education, state-of-the-art technology, and equal opportunity.