# Tactile Children's Books This 3D Printed Book Project Helps Young Blind Kids Read Earlier By Alyson Wyers | Published 2015-03-11 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3d-printed-book References: [psfk](http://www.psfk.com/2014/07/3d-printed-books.html) & [tactilepicturebooks.org](http://www.tactilepicturebooks.org/) The Tactile Picture Books Project created 3D printed books for children with visual impairment. The picture books allow visually impaired kids to follow along with images they can feel. The result of a collaboration with the Anchor Center, the project includes famed titled such as 'Goodnight Moon,' 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' and 'Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear?' Since most children don't start learning [braille](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nemonic-dot-printer) until 6 years of age, a 3D printed book lets them enjoy reading at an earlier age. Colorado University researchers hope the ability to take pictures of books and 3D print them immediately will be available to parents and educators soon. [3D printing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/makerworld-cyberbrick) has no shortage of applications, both in book publishing and in children's health. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.2/10 - Popularity: 50% | Activity: 39% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Alpha - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Youth](https://www.trendhunter.com/youth) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Personalized 3D Printing:** The Tactile Picture Books Project demonstrates the potential for personalized 3D printing to create customized educational materials for visually impaired children. - **Inclusive Education:** The collaboration between the Tactile Picture Books Project and the Anchor Center highlights the importance of inclusive education for visually impaired children and the need for accessible learning materials. - **Early Literacy Support:** The development of 3D printed books for visually impaired children shows the potential for early literacy support through innovative technologies. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Education:** The Tactile Picture Books Project presents opportunities for the education industry to leverage 3D printing technology to enhance learning experiences for visually impaired children. - **Book Publishing:** The collaboration between the Tactile Picture Books Project and book publishers offers an avenue for the industry to expand into creating tactile books for visually impaired children. - **Healthcare:** The use of 3D printing in creating books for visually impaired children demonstrates the potential for the healthcare industry to utilize the technology in developing personalized rehabilitation tools. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Kid-Friendly 3D Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kidoodle-minibox-a1.md) - [3D-Printed Flip Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stl-sculptures.md) - [Braille Building Blocks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/play-with-braille.md) - [Tactile Digital Comics](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tactile-digital-comics.md) - [Rugged Child-Friendly Braille Readers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vembi-hexis.md) - [Color Blindness-Detecting Children's Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/color-blindness-detection-book.md) - [Voice-Activated Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/readyland.md) - [Personalized Children’s Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tinyherostories.md) - [Impairment-Accessible Tablets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dot-pad.md)