Tactile tables are tools for inclusive communication that combine panels with raised designs and text, as well as three-dimensional models, to make information about spaces, architecture, and landscapes accessible to all users, including those who are blind or visually impaired.
Exploring a space, a building, or artifacts is an experience that is as challenging as it is fascinating for any visitor, who can gain new experiences and new knowledge. If culture is a value, the acquisition of new information must be facilitated through communication tools accessible to all users, ensuring that certain disabilities do not limit or even eliminate the opportunity for knowledge—which must be a right for every human being.
This belief guides Citislab SRL, a spin-off of the University of Brescia, in developing solutions and products for the inclusive communication of cultural content.
VOLUMES TO TARGET
In addition to the various types of tactile panels—which remain Citislab’s flagship product—we offer the “Tactile Table,” which integrates the content typically conveyed by tactile panels with three-dimensional elements. The product’s design itself ensures ease of exploration: a tactile panel mounted on a flat surface, around which users can move freely to explore the raised features and, above all, the three-dimensional model resting on the panel.
This type of attraction captivates every visitor, starting with children and school groups, and is obviously very much appreciated by people with visual impairments.
Citislab manufactures four different types of touch tables, designed in accordance with the principles of Design for All: products that are therefore always designed to be easily accessible, comfortable for every user, and capable of adapting to the evolving nature of human diversity.
Together with the tactile panels, these are the main elements used to convey content, allowing for the tactile representation of landscapes, architecture, and details. The tactile graphic representation of the base of the three-dimensional model is achieved through the use of contrasting colors and varying relief thicknesses.
The content displayed on touch tables can be translated into audio prompts and other sensory cues that guide all users as they explore the model. With these features, these products become highly effective tools for supporting learning among people with a wide range of characteristics, abilities, and needs.
Our Touch Tables
Surveys and three-dimensional models are used to document the morphology of a landscape, its natural and man-made features, and its built environment.
A three-dimensional representation of a city or historic town is presented using scale models placed on a tactile map.
A simplified three-dimensional model is used to describe the volumetric structure of the architectural form, which can be combined with a floor plan or an elevation drawing in relief.
Three-dimensional models of architectural details, objects, animals, plants, and tools—accompanied by brief texts or relief drawings—allow for a deeper understanding of important elements.
Technical Data Sheets
Citislab touchscreen tables can be made of Plexiglas, polycarbonate, Corian, Dibond, wood, aluminum, acrylic, or stainless steel. The standard sizes are 100×100 cm and 70×70 cm, but custom sizes are available upon request. All solutions comply with applicable regulations.
Bas-relief reproductions of architectural or artistic details are essential tools for improvingaccessibility andthe sensory experience in all settings—such as museums and exhibition spaces, parks, historic sites, and public buildings—where the goal is to convey elements that are not easily accessible or directly experienced through touch (animals or parts of animals, vegetation, and architectural and decorative elements).
By incorporating these bas-reliefs into the Tactile Panels and Tactile Tables, visitors are given the opportunity to explore and understand through the sense of touch, much more information and geometric data, volumetric, formal and proportional, as they relate to natural, artistic, and architectural features.
These three-dimensional models therefore make it easy to explore the shapes, proportions, and details that would otherwise be difficult to access.
For example, a reproduction of a Corinthian capital (or half-capital) allows visitors to appreciate its intricate floral decorations, while a bas-relief depicting part of a historic facade offers a tangible understanding of its stylistic features.
The integration of such reproductions into Tactile Panels and Tables not only facilitatesinclusion, but it enriches the museum experience for all visitors. The opportunity to touch and feel the exhibits creates a deeper emotional and cognitive engagement, making the visit more interactive and memorable.
Furthermore, the use of different materials in the creation of the bas-reliefs can simulate the original textures of the subject matter, offering an even more realistic perception.
Combining these reproductions with other technologies, such as audio descriptions or interactive applications, can further enhance accessibility and audience engagement.
MEDIA CHARACTERISTICS
The tables can be installed on various types of structures made of materials and in shapes that suit the setting
INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED
The panels are all equipped with QR Codes to download PDFs, voice descriptions, and Lis Videos in sign language for the deaf and to access additional in-depth content.
They can be implemented of technological services such as:
