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was a Japanese engineer and inventor best known for his work on tactile paving (or "Tenji bricks", "Tactile bricks/blocks") to aid the visually impaired at traffic crossings. Miyake's system of tactile paving was first introduced at a school for the blind in Okayama City in March 1967, and has since been adopted around the world.


Early life

Seiichi Miyake was born on 5 February 1926 in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.


Inventing tactile bricks

In 1965, Seiichi Miyake used his own money to create tactile bricks, which have patterns of raised shapes on their surfaces that can be detected by touch. He invented the blocks to help a friend who was starting to have visual impairment. These patterns indicate different safety or hazard conditions, such as raised dots or blisters for "caution", or long parallel strips for "safe to move ahead". They were also used to identify the boundary between footpath and the road. There are generally two predominant types, namely, the bricks with dots and bricks with bars. The former alerts the visually impaired of danger while the bars provide directional cues. However, "the paths have been constructed inconsistently," in different times and places.Lupton, Ellen and Lipps, Andrea (2018). ''The Senses: Design Beyond Vision'', p.136. Chronicle Books. .Pissaloux, Edwige and Velazquez, Ramiro (2017). ''Mobility of Visually Impaired People: Fundamentals and ICT Assistive Technologies'', p.364. Springer. . Two years later, on 18 March 1967, Okayama City (western Japan) was the first place to install this invention for visually impaired people. The bricks' bright color is visible to people with low vision and cognitive impairments. Ten years later, thanks to its safety and navigation benefits, the use of tactile bricks became mandatory in the
Japan National Railway The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
. By 1985, it was mandated for broader use in Japan.


Honours

In 2010, the Okayama Prefectural Association for the Visually Impaired registered March 18 as the Day of the Tenji Block with the Japan Anniversary Association. A monument for the Tenji Block birthplace was unveiled at the Harojima intersection in Naka Ward with a theme song, "Shiawase no kiiroi michi" (Yellow road of happiness). On 18 March 2019, Google Doodle honoured him by creating a short animation of a person with a probing cane being moved over tactile bricks.


See also

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Universal design Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability or other factors. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the ma ...
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Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille display ...
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Japanese Inventions This is a list of Japanese inventions and discoveries. The Japanese have made contributions across a number of scientific and technological domains. In particular, the country has played a crucial role in the digital revolution since the 20th ce ...


References


External links


Traffic Safety Research Center, Inc history
(Japanese)
Biography "Happy yellow road"
on YouTube (Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Miyake, Seiichi 1926 births 1982 deaths Date of death missing Japanese inventors People from Okayama Prefecture