Tactile Monitor - The Ultimate Accessibility Tool

Digression

I just wanted to mention a dream I have had - something that I think would be a cool tool - a tactile monitor.

What I mean by a tactile monitor is a grid of pins that can change their height to form a tactile image. A blind person could quickly feel the overall pattern on the monitor. It would not need to communicate letters or words, just shapes. This could be done with a grid of 100 * 80 and would greatly open a blind users world on the computer.
With current technology a blind user cannot do anything with graphics or any visual information like the layout of the screen. With a tactile monitor a blind person could:
- Identify the objects in an image
- With zooming possibly recognize people in photographs
- Scan images and identify them
- Feel a programs User Interface (UI) layout
- Have a backup technique when the screen reader will not read an application correctly

I believe if this were mass produced, it could cost under $1,000 per unit.

I am submitting this idea to Cambrian House. Who knows, maybe some electrical engineers might think this is possible and feasible.

End Digression