Armor-Tile and the Truncated Dome: Braille for the Feet
When the Americans with Disabilities Act outlined the requirements for detectable warnings, the truncated dome earned a starring role.
Armor-Tile and the Truncated Dome: Braille for the Feet Video
After years and years of research it was determined that the small truncated dome, a dome that has had its top lopped off, was the safest and most reliable surface for detectable warning systems even when compared to surfaces such as grooves, striations, and textured concrete.
The truncated dome pattern is closely spaced to ensure that pedestrians can easily maintain stability on detectable warning tiles. The truncated dome tiles adjoin or are placed before a potential hazard to signal the impending change and extend beyond the average stride length so a person can detect and react to the warning before encountering the hazard.
One of the most important characteristics of the truncated dome is its ability to give off an audible warning as well as the tactile warning. When a cane is tapped or swept overtop of the detectable warning, it gives the visually impaired just one more way of knowing about approaching hazards.
Often referred to as Braille for the feet, Armor-Tile has made it a mission to make their tactile tiles as multi-purpose and detectable as possible, and much of the thanks for that lies on the level head of the truncated dome.
