Nidhi Kalra, Project Lead and Primary Software Researcher, is a fourth year Ph.D. student at the Robotics Institute. She is keenly interested in applying technology to sustainable development and in understanding related public policy issues. Nidhi hopes to start a career in this field after completing her Ph.D. Her thesis area of research is in multirobot coordination and she is advised by Dr. Anthony Stentz. She has a master's degree in Robotics from the Robotics Institute and she received her bachelor's degree in computer science from Cornell University in 2002. Nidhi is a native of India.

In developing countries Braille is almost always written with a slate and stylus. Using these tools, Braille is written in reverse, from right to left, so that the page can be read from left to right when it is flipped over. For blind children, learning to write Braille in this manner can be a formidable process. First, children must learn mirror images of all letters, which essentially doubles the alphabet.   Second, feedback is delayed until the paper is removed and then flipped over and read, so it may take significantly longer to identify mistakes and correct them. The electronic slate and stylus will retain the same use characteristics of a standard slate and stylus, but provide instant audio feedback and allow the user to write both forwards and backwards.   Furthermore, when connected to a computer, the electronic slate will serve as the user input device for an advanced Braille tutor, which will give students Braille writing lessons.

Website: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~nidhi/brailletutor.html