Glasgow-based group Robomotic revealed MyDsReader, a new homebrew project designed to help visually impaired users read documents with text-to-speech (TTS) Nintendo DS software. The application uses Flite to read e-books in several formats: PDF, Word, TXT, and DAISY.

As project head Paolo Di Prodi explains in the demonstration above, the software is a much cheaper alternative to devices like the $1,500 Intel Reader. Purchasing a Nintendo DS Lite and a homebrew cartridge to run MyDsReader will only set you back around $150.

The team hopes to implement both touch and voice commands, an email client enabling you to reply with voice clips, and an agenda for planning your day and taking notes. You can read more about MyDsReader on Robomotic's site and download an early build of the application from SourceForge.

[Via Hack a Day]