A RETIRED man is launching a crowdfunding campaign to fund the manufacture of a new handheld product designed to translate written text into audio.

Former care home manager Graham Burch, who has worked to support people with disabilities for many years, first had the idea while talking to a blind man he met on holiday.

Mr Burch said: “He had set up this massive machine on a table in the hotel library, and needed some help picking books from their selection and carrying them back and forth to it.

“As we talked I began to notice that there were parallels with the needs of reading impaired people we’d had in our care.”

Audiobook providers have begun to make many bestselling titles available to audiences who have difficulty reading text.

However it is estimated that only 0.15 per cent of all the books published in print are easily available in audio form.

It can be a particular challenge to find audio for non-fiction texts or older books that are currently out of print.

Mr Burch said: “The technology designed for this community is generally very cumbersome and unwieldy which means that the reader has to come to the machine.

“I wanted to build something that was portable and affordable so care centres, schools and other communities can offer a personal device to the people they work with.

“It’s giving people the freedom to read whatever they want, whenever they want and wherever they want.”

The BookEars proof of concept design was developed by GB Electronics, theproduct development team behind the baby sleep aid Ewan the Dream Sheep.

The finished product is set to be manufactured in the UK.

During August the campaign aims to raise £50,000 to fund the production of the first BookEars devices.

All backers will become part of the BookEars Reading Club to receive discounts, audiobook samples and a range of other gifts for book-lovers.

Early-bird donations of over £500 will get their own device while major backers such as retailers, schools and care centres can receive a bundle of up to ten at a significant discount.

Mr Burch said: “I noticed a problem that wasn’t getting much attention, and I believe that I can be the one to solve it.

“I want to make every book accessible to anyone who might want to unlock the answers within, and bring together a unique community of people united by their love of reading and sharing knowledge.”

To find out more and register interest in the campaign visit www.bookears.co.uk

Mr Burch is based at the Sussex Innovation Centre in Falmer.

It is based at the Sussex University.

Sussex Innovation helps with all aspects of running a business including business services such as book keeping and recruiting - especially useful for key roles - as well as infrastructure needs such as telephony, internet and utilities.

Call 01273 704 400.