Who Was Seiichi Miyake? Google Doodle Honors Japanese Inventor Of 'Tenji Block'

Google honored Japanese inventor Seiichi Miyake, who developed tactile paving — also known as "Tenji blocks." These blocks are now used worldwide to make public space more accessible to visually impaired people.

Marking 52 years since the invention was first introduced, Google's home page features an eye-catching animation with bright yellow used in the original paving. Miyake began developing the idea in 1965 to help his newly visually-impaired friend. He spent his own money to invent the tactile blocks, which came in two predominant types: one with dots, and the other with bars.

"Today’s Doodle depicts the Google logo rendered in the style of Miyake’s tactile blocks, embossed against the familiar yellow background," Google wrote.

"The dotted blocks alert the visually impaired when they are approaching danger, and can often be found at the edges of crosswalks and railway platforms. The barred blocks provide directional cues, letting users know that they are following a safe path," Google added.

The bumpy patterns in the pavement acted as warning signs to visually impaired people, who could feel them through their shoes or with the tip of a cane. They could also use trained guide dogs to recognize the bumps. The lines on the pavement mean "Go," while the dots mean "Stop." They are mostly yellow in color, but other colors have also been used in many places to fit in with a certain environment.

Miyake's creation was rolled out in 1967 near the Okayama School for the Blind in Okayama City. Within no time, other cities in Japan started using them at crosswalks and other potential hazards. In the late 1970s, the Japanese National Railways made them mandatory at its facilities. By the 1990s, they spread to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.