Intel Beautifully Tells the Story of the 13-Year-Old Who Invented a Low-Cost Braille Printer

Intel's new Meet the Makers campaign, meant as a cheerleader for innovation, launches this week with an unexpectedly moving short film.

The first in a series of four directed by Josh Soskin, the clip highlights 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee, who invented a comparatively inexpensive Braille printer, and is planning to bring it to market with the help of Intel. 

As the clip explains, Banerjee started down that path when a letter asking for donations to the blind arrived at his house. After taking a moment to imagine how his life would change—and what he would miss—if his eyesight were gone, he did some research on Braille, and decided to try his hand at making a printer more accessible than the $2,000 standard. Now, he's turned his $350 Lego robotics prototype into a company, Braigo Labs, with backing from Intel. The second iteration of the product is the one that includes Intel's Edison technology (normally used for wearable devices). The target price for a final manufactured version is less than $500.  

In short, it's a beautiful, well-told story. Most people don't have Banerjee's clear affinity for technology—but there's also a lot of genuine empathy in him, and you don't hear or see much of that in modern discussions about innovation. It's good to remind people that for every insufferably vain tech startup whose business plan ends at "getting bought by Google," there are people like Banerjee, who have the means to reach out to others—and actually do.

Three more spots directed by Soskin are slated for release this month.

CREDITS

Agency: Inside (Intel)

Executive Creative Director: Teresa Herd

Executive Producer: Yogiraj Graham

Producer: Thomas Green,

Creative Strategist: Jenille Winder

Creative Directors: Caspian Michalowski, David Williams

Sound Design: Jody Scott

Production Company: Houseblend Media

Director: Josh Soskin, Station Film

Producer: Grace Jackson

Director of Photography: Rob Hauer

Editing Company: Whitehouse Post

Editor: Zach Vandlik


Executive Producer: Joni Williamson

Producer: Jonlyn Williams

Music: SCORE A SCORE, Matt Abeysekera

Colorist: Gregory Reese, The Mill