Currently, the design of the 6-dot braille codes entails the need for translation to and from braille, thereby complicating written communication between braille and print users. COBRA eliminates the need for translation by assigning a unique braille dot combination to each print symbol. This is achieved by expanding the braille cell to 8 dots and avoiding contractions and composition signs. In an 8-dot braille cell, the dots are arranged in two columns of four dots each. Dot 7 is located in the left column directly below dot 3 of the familiar 6-dot cell, while dot 8 sits below dot 6 in the right column.
Most COBRA dot combinations are either identical to, or derived from, symbols found in English Braille American Edition or the Nemeth or Computer Braille Codes. That is, all lowercase letters are the same as in regular 6-dot Braille, while numbers and punctuation signs retain the patterns familiar from the Nemeth and Computer Braille Code. Dots 7 and 8 are used only in capital letters and special, mainly mathematical and foreign language, symbols. A few other COBRA symbols are mnemonically associated with the shape of the print symbol they represent.
Last updated 31 May 2008 by Imke Durre