The doodle of Google pays homage to the Japanese who invented the tactile surface to help a blind friend

Google pays tribute to the Japanese inventor Monday Seiichi Miyake, His desire to help a close friend with vision problems has become an innovation that has forever changed the way visually impaired people are oriented in public spaces around the world.

In 1965, Miyake used his own money to invent the "touch blocks"or Tenji, as they were originally called, helping a close friend whose vision was deteriorating.

Tenji blocks come in two different forms: with dots or with bars. Dashed blocks alert blind people when they are in a dangerous situation. They are often on the edges of pedestrian crossings or on railway platforms. Blocks with bars provide directional guidance, allowing users to know that they are following a safe path.

One day as today, Miyake's touchpad was first installed on a street near the school for the blind in Okayama, Japan, in 1967..

Its use was gradually extended before them and sound guides became mandatory on the Japanese national railways a decade later.

Since then, tactile pavements have been used all over the world.