Vivoca – a new speech device from University of Sheffield
The Technology section of the BBC’s website has an item about Vivoca, a new speech output device that is also controlled by speech. The initial version of the device is for people with moderate to severe dysarthria who will use their (limited) speech to produce much clearer speech via the device.
The website mentions Communication Matters:
In a statement, UK charity Communication Matters, which works to help those with little or no clear speech, said:
“The Vivoca gives people with dysarthria – a motor speech disorder – who may find it difficult to make themselves understood, the ability to use their own voice as an input method. The voice recognition software learns to recognise the speech and can then interpret it from banks of options. This could reduce the anxiety of not being understood and give the person more independence.”
