Tactile Universe
Making astronomy research accessible to the vision impaired community
About the Tactile Universe project
The Tactile Universe is an award-winning project at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation to engage the visually impaired (VI) community with our astrophysics research.
We're creating 3D printed tactile images of galaxies which can be used in schools and at public events.
The Tactile Universe is supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council through a Nucleus Award.
Current Status
The current focus of the project is on engagement with young people through school visits and workshops. We're creating a set of versatile resources for use in the classroom with key stage 2 and 3 pupils (age 7 – 14), using our tactile images of galaxies as a focus.
With support from STFC through a Nucleus Award all our resources will be made available to the wider astronomy outreach and VI communities free of charge. In summer 2018 we released our 3D printing files for the tactile galaxy images, plus supporting materials, which can be found on the models page of our website.
In the 2018/19 school year we ran training sessions across the UK, so that teachers, educators, science communicators, outreach professionals and any other interested parties can learn how to use our resources.
The Tactile Universe is currently based at the University of Portsmouth, with additional support from The Ogden Trust, RNIB Bookshare, the Royal Astronomical Society and the South East Physics Network (SEPnet).
Pilot Project
An initial 6-month pilot project was funded by the South East Physics Network until January 2017. For this pilot, we developed our 3D printed tactile images of galaxies, which were used in a public event for the VI community in Portsmouth on the 14 January 2017. At this event, attendees were able to explore the different shapes of galaxies using a set of the 3D printed galaxies. You can find out more about the pilot by reading our A&G article.
A Tactile Universe community event in January 2017
Tactile Universe project lead Dr. Nicolas Bonne
Core team
Partners
Special thanks
A special thanks goes out to the schools and groups that helped us test all our content:
- Toynbee School
- Kings Copse Primary School
- The vision impaired support group at the Southsea Library
Explore more of our research
Our research areas of expertise
Theoretical cosmology
We're exploring the inflation of the very early Universe, the impact of dark energy on its geometry and developing tests to monitor its expansion.
Gravitational waves
We're detecting cosmic gravitational waves and developing gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool.
Observational Cosmology
We're mapping the Universe on the largest scales to understand dark energy, studying the clustering of galaxies and dark matter, and observing transient events and supernovae.
Our research areas and centres
Cosmology and Astrophysics
We're working to understand the cosmos and the fundamental physical laws at work – including gravity and the nature of spacetime. And how these laws of nature play out in the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies.
Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation
Researchers at our Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation explore the evolution of our Universe and aim to inspire the next generation of scientists.
