Mechanical Engineering students at Mcast today presented a euro note reader, a simple device beneficial to persons with impaired vision, to the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (Fita).

The credit card sized device was manufactured by the students from the Mcast Foundation College to help people with impaired vision differentiate between euro notes of different value.
The students, with the guidance of their lecturers, devised a simple yet effective guide made of light aluminium sheet, with 5 notches. Each notch corresponded with the unique width of the €5, €10, €20, €50, €100 and €500 bank notes respectively.

When a visually impaired person needed to check a bank note they were handling, all they had to do was compare the width of the particular note with the appropriate notch on the guide. The corresponding notch would indicate the value of the note to the person using this guide.

Foundation Year 1 students were given the task of manufacturing these guides as part of their basic mechanical engineering practice, making use of both hand and machine tools. Such exercises facilitate learning and instil a sense of pride and social responsibility in students.

The students who participated in this project were Jacob Cauchi, Tennielle Mizzi, Oumaima Assif and Kyle Azzopardi.