Annie by Thinkerbell Labs is Rewriting the ABCs, This Time with Fingers and Feeling

In a world where assistive tech often plays catch-up, Annie stands out as a category-defining innovation, India’s first self-learning Braille device, In a world where assistive tech often plays catch-up, Annie stands out as a category-defining innovation, India’s first self-learning Braille, founded by four engineering graduates from BITS Goa; Sanskriti Dawle, Aman Srivastava, Dilip Ramesh, and Saif Shaikh that empowers visually impaired children to read, write and type with independence. What began as a moment of empathy in a blind school in Hyderabad has grown into a nationwide movement rooted in inclusion, play-based learning and tactile-first design. Inspired by the legacy of education reformers like Savitribai and Jyotiba Phule, Thinkerbell Labs is reimagining what foundational literacy looks and feels like for a demographic too often overlooked. From regional language support to AI-integrated progress tracking, we learnt, through an exclusive interview, that Annie isn't just a device; it’s a companion, a classroom, and a catalyst for change.

From a Classroom Epiphany to a Movement for Literacy

The story of Annie began not in a lab, but in a classroom, one that laid bare the quiet injustice of educational exclusion. During a college visit to a school for the blind, the founders of Thinkerbell Labs met a young girl who couldn’t even write her ABCs. “It was a moment that starkly revealed the gap in access to foundational literacy for children with visual impairments,” they shared. This encounter, simple but powerful, exposed a deeply entrenched systemic issue: while audio-based tools exist, braille, essential for comprehension, cognitive development, and independence, remains shockingly underused, with literacy rates below 1% in India. The team, moved by what they saw, also found inspiration in India’s legacy of radical education reform. 

“This experience reminded us of the legacy of Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule. Their work laid the foundation for inclusive education and empowered generations to participate in building the nation.” Carrying that spirit forward, they immersed themselves in braille learning, built a bare-bones prototype, and began iterating with a single goal: to make literacy accessible, tactile, and joyful. Annie was born from this intersection of empathy and engineering, a smart device that allows visually impaired children to read, write, and type braille independently through games, real-time feedback, and voice-led guidance. But more than that, Annie is a reimagining of what education can feel like for those too long left out of its promise. As the team puts it, “We are not iterating on existing products. We are building the future from the ground up.”

Learning That Feels Like Play, Teaching That Feels Like Progress

At the heart of Annie’s impact lies its unique ability to merge structure with joy. The device’s curriculum was designed with a simple yet radical idea: that learning braille should never feel like a chore. “Every concept, from braille reading to typing, is taught through a mix of lessons and games,” the team explains. Whether it’s Whack a Braille to improve recognition or Letter Race to test typing under pressure, each activity reinforces core skills while keeping children engaged through play. What sets Annie apart is also her emotional intelligence, one student shared, “Annie ki awaaz ek dost jaisi hai, mann karta hai usse baatein karta rahun” (Annie’s voice feels like a friend. I just feel like talking to her all the time). That connection between learner and device creates not just comprehension, but confidence.

This confidence is echoed in the glowing feedback from classrooms across the country. In schools where Annie has been introduced, it has transformed both student motivation and teacher efficiency. “It is very interesting to play and learn reading, writing and typing on Annie,” said a student from Jyoti Seva Home for the Blind. Teachers have been equally enthusiastic. Mr. Rauvish Kumar, Headmaster at Rajyakrit Netrahin Madhya Vidyalaya in Ranchi, shared, “The kids are loving it. As teachers, we can supervise many kids at the same time.” That scalability is vital in resource-constrained classrooms, where one-on-one instruction isn’t always feasible. Annie doesn’t replace teachers; she empowers them. And for children like Prathamesh, who started as a student and is now a national award-winning brand ambassador for Thinkerbell Labs, Annie has been more than a tool; it has been a launchpad for ambition.

Speaking in Every Tongue: Tackling the Challenge of Linguistic Diversity

One of the most persistent challenges in India’s education system is its vast linguistic diversity, which often becomes a barrier to learning, especially for children with disabilities. When it comes to braille education, most tools are designed with a one-size-fits-all approach, frequently privileging English or Hindi, and leaving children who speak other regional languages at a disadvantage. Thinkerbell Labs recognised this early on and made language accessibility central to Annie’s design philosophy. “We believe that children learn best in their mother tongue, especially when starting out with something as tactile and cognitive as braille,” the team shared. To solve this, Annie supports over 70 content packs in more than 14 Indian languages, making it one of the most linguistically inclusive ed-tech tools in the country. But it's not just about translation. Annie’s voice guidance is recorded by native voice artists to maintain the authenticity, comfort, and emotional resonance of each language. Whether a child is learning Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, or Tamil, Annie speaks their language, literally. “The experience is fully multilingual, allowing students to access lessons, games and instructions in their regional language,” the team explained. In doing so, Annie doesn’t just teach braille; it validates identity, builds trust, and ensures that no child is left behind because of the language they speak at home. It’s a powerful reminder that inclusion must be both accessible and culturally rooted.

Beyond Braille: Building the Future of Tactile Tech

Thinkerbell Labs envisions a future where tactile technology is not just a specialised aid but a mainstream, tech-forward pathway to learning, independence and opportunity. With Annie, they laid the foundation for accessible, joyful, and gamified braille education. But the journey doesn’t stop there. “Annie was just the first step,” the team emphasises. The brand is now building an expansive ecosystem of tools, from advanced refreshable braille displays to AI-powered platforms like Helios 2.0m that go beyond basic literacy and support higher education, employment, and real-world integration for visually impaired learners. Their upcoming 20 and 32-cell displays will allow users to access more complex information, while Helios will transform how teachers and parents track a child’s progress in real time.

What sets Thinkerbell Labs apart is its bold refusal to settle. “We are not iterating on existing products. We are building the future from the ground up.” With global recognition from platforms like TIME, MIT Solve, and Shark Tank India, and a growing presence in classrooms from Pune to Pittsburgh, the brand is turning Indian innovation into a global accessibility revolution. Their mission is no longer niche; it is expansive, urgent and deeply human. In a world where over 1.4 billion people live with vision-related impairments, Thinkerbell Labs is designing for a future where learning is tactile, empowering, and inclusive from the very first touch.