Project · in development
BrailleBlocks: Braille literacy through touch, play and music
An iPhone and iPad app that recognises LEGO® Braille Bricks, reads them aloud, and turns them into music. Built on our award-winning BeatBlocks technology, and made for children learning Braille.
In developmentSelf-funded by Playable TechnologySeeking testing partners
How it started
It started at the LEGO House
In 2024 we were invited to demonstrate BeatBlocks and BeatBlocks Live at the LEGO House in Billund, showing how music could be made through real-time camera detection and physical play.
The conversations that followed, with the LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Braille Programme teams, turned toward something else entirely. Could the same technology support Braille literacy?
We left Billund with a set of LEGO® Braille Bricks and an idea: a prototype that could detect Braille bricks, read them aloud, and turn them into music.
Where we are now
Where we are now
- A new iOS app, built specifically for BrailleBlocks
- Machine learning model trained to recognise around half of the English Braille Brick set
- VoiceOver compatible, with bespoke accessibility features
- Two modes, Braille Mode reads letters, words and numbers aloud; Music Mode turns bricks into loops
- On TestFlight, ready for our first testers
Our goals
What we’re working towards
BrailleBlocks is guided by a few clear aims:
- Support early learners of Braille and Braille music through interactive play
- Enable self-expression through sound
- Co-create with educators, learners and families, so the tools reflect what the community needs
- Build sustainable impact through partnerships and funding
For educators & families
Join the testing group
If you work with visually impaired learners, in a school, a therapy setting, or at home, we’d like your help shaping what this becomes.
Testers get the TestFlight build, a User Testing Guide, and direct access to the team. There’s no cost and no obligation beyond telling us what you think.
What we’re hoping to learn: which brick patterns children find easiest, whether Music Mode helps or distracts from letter recognition, and how the app fits into sessions you already run.
Join the testing groupAlready a tester? Open the member area.
For funders & partners
Funding & partnerships
Playable Technology has self-funded BrailleBlocks to this point. To reach more learners, we’ve set up Playable Labs, a not-for-profit dedicated to inclusive play, and we’re looking for partners to help us finish the work.
What we’re seeking support for:
- Completing the recognition model, from around half of the English Braille Brick set to the full set, including contractions
- A structured classroom pilot in schools, run with vision impairment specialists
- Independent evaluation of learning outcomes, published openly
- Free permanent access for schools and families
Why us: we’ve been building accessible music technology for 20 years. Our previous instrument, Skoog, was retailed by Apple and used in special schools worldwide. Our installations have reached over 200,000 visitors at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres, the Science Museum and V&A Dundee. We hold several patents and our work has won awards from BIMA and UKRI.
If you fund early-stage assistive technology, Braille literacy or inclusive education, we’d welcome a conversation.
Start a funding conversation
The not-for-profit
Playable Labs
We’ve incorporated Playable Labs, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in Scotland, to take BrailleBlocks and work like it forward. It’s early days, and we’re looking for partners to build it with us.
Mission: to innovate, develop and support technology that enables play in all its forms, for all ages, worldwide.
Values: Accessibility: play should be available to everyone. Inclusivity: our work must serve and reflect diverse communities. Fun: because joy is essential to learning.