Abstract: A stem breaking apparatus includes a roller having unevenly spaced radial projections and is useful in a method of extracting bast fibers from a plant stem. The roller is one of a pair of intermeshed counter-rotating rollers between which the plant stem is passed to break the woody core of the stem for separation from the bast fibers. Pairs of adjacent projections are angularly spaced by a larger amount that the individual projections of each pair. The rollers provide a larger support span than conventional stem-breaking rollers, resulting in gentler breaking of the woody core and preventing or eliminating the kinks and inter-fiber splitting associated with conventional stem breaking. Pre-compression of the stems before breaking offers further advantages.

Abstract: A tactile measuring instrument to be used primarily to measure and produce geometric quantities without use of sight, wherein a sliding jaw is configured to move over a guide to adjust the instrument to desired measurement, a mechanically controlled display mechanism is configured to place within tactile perception selected tactile forms or Braille dots, and condensed representation of tactile forms is configured to control display mechanism such that the numerical value of measurement is displayed; and because tactile forms are condensed and more may be packed in the same area, the instrument has high precision. As the display mechanism is small, lightweight and hidden, the instrument is small, portable and simple; and as all information is presented in Braille, it is quick-to-use and convenient. With different configurations of display mechanism and condensed tactile forms, the device may be used for applications other than measurement as well.

Abstract: A tactile measuring instrument to be used primarily to measure and produce geometric quantities without use of sight, wherein a sliding jaw is configured to move over a guide to adjust the instrument to desired measurement, a mechanically controlled display mechanism is configured to place within tactile perception selected tactile forms or Braille dots, and condensed representation of tactile forms is configured to control display mechanism such that the numerical value of measurement is displayed; and because tactile forms are condensed and more may be packed in the same area, the instrument has high precision. As the display mechanism is small, lightweight and hidden, the instrument is small, portable and simple; and as all information is presented in Braille, it is quick-to-use and convenient. With different configurations of display mechanism and condensed tactile forms, the device may be used for applications other than measurement as well.