Braille is an important method of communication for blind people all over the world. But unfortunately, Braille can only be found in so many places. And with the electronic world taking over more of our lives every day, I would imagine it’s getting harder for blind people to take full advantage of everything technology has to offer.

That’s why a new Braille smartphone is so cool. That’s right: one forward thinker decided to create a Braille smartphone that is meant to make the world a “more equal, well informed, and overall better place to live.”

That forward thinker is Sumit Dagar, who is creating the phone with the help of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and L V Prasad Eye Institute (along with funding from Rolex). The goal is to make a smartphone that can easily be used by someone who is blind or visually impaired.

Check out the introduction of the Braille smartphone by Sumit Dagar way back in 2011:

Basically, the Braille smartphone works by creating raised physical features on top of a surface. This surface can be used to display Braille letters or even create a physical representation of a person or picture – as seen in the picture at the top of this article.

One of the coolest parts of the above video occurs at 3:50, where the phone scans over a timetable and displays that information in real-time to the user via Braille. Technology like this has the potential to change the lives of many people, and although the Braille smartphone is a long ways away from being available to consumers, let’s hope that it allows everybody to one day experience the power of Android (or whatever operating system this thing will eventually run).