At CES 2026, startup Mangoslab unveiled the Nemonic Dot, a voice-activated Braille label printer designed to help sighted individuals create labels for blind loved ones. Priced at $995, it offers a cheaper alternative to traditional devices costing over $1,250. The device uses a smartphone app to convert spoken words into Braille strips for everyday items like medicine bottles.
Mangoslab, which originated as a spin-off from Samsung's C-Lab research department, has evolved its earlier Nemonic sticky note printer into the Nemonic Dot. This compact device, roughly the size of a stack of drink coasters, connects wirelessly to a smartphone via a dedicated app. Users speak the desired label content, which the app translates from speech to text and then to Braille, printing it onto adhesive strips for attachment to objects.
During a demonstration at CES Unveiled, the Nemonic Dot labeled similar-looking items to prevent mix-ups, such as salt and pepper shakers or identically sized bottles of painkillers and probiotics. Unlike conventional Braille label makers that require typing on Perkins-style buttons or QWERTY keyboards, the Nemonic Dot relies entirely on voice input, making it more accessible for non-experts.
The app showed some challenges in noisy environments, struggling with long medication names like acetaminophen before correctly processing them upon restart. While primarily aimed at sighted family members assisting the blind, the device lacks built-in features for blind users to verify labels independently, such as text-to-speech confirmation.
Expected to launch in the second quarter of 2026, the Nemonic Dot will cost $995, with standard sticky tape refills at $5 each. A firmer copper tape option is planned, though its price remains undecided. This innovation addresses a key safety issue for the blind by simplifying the creation of tactile labels for potentially hazardous items like medications.
