Braille cells and assemblies include an actuator that engages and makes readable a Braille dot by rotating about a hinge on a base to engage the dot. An electro-permanent magnet on the rod and a magnetic plate on the underlying base can cause the rotation. By running an electric pulse through the electro-permanent magnet, it will rotate the rod about the pivot hinge under attraction to the magnetic plate at the other end of the base. The rod then engages with a tactile pin contacting the Braille dot and making it readable. An electric pulse in an opposite direction may cause the magnetic field to cease and the tactile pin to disengage. The electro-permanent magnet may be coupled a mesh of rows and columns each with a P-channel MOSFET and N-channel MOSFET on opposite ends. The magnet may be at an intersection of a row and a column with diodes.