Create software that will help people with speech problems

The computer program translates your voice messages and allow communication of desires or needs, the researcher notes Andres Martinez

Researchers at the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) develop a "augmentative communication system" that would allow people with speech problems to communicate through a computer would interpret their messages and transform them into speech. "The intention is to create a system designed for people who have the ability to structure a message in your brain and your disability is muscular in nature," said project coordinator, Jorge Andres Martinez Alarcon.

The academic, who is also director of engineering, explained that he believes that people with disabilities in Mexico are about 0.5 percent of its total population, and those who can not speak are the most neglected sector and hence the importance to develop a "augmentative communication system.

"People with disabilities face the harsh conditions in their quality of life, hardly can express their needs." For instance, he said, various statistics reveal that while a person with a disability differently on average reached the third grade, in terms of education is concerned, who can not speak hardly reach the first grade.

In that sense, explained that the software they are doing and which already have five versions-at-will prototype a system with lots of variants and the goal of this is to meet the needs of each user, who, despite suffer the same malaise (speech disability), sometimes face different constraints according to the disease that could have caused the disability, such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral ameotrófica, cerebral palsy, stroke or congenital conditions, among others.

"In many cases we find patients with a speech disability and that only control movement throughout his body, and to this we have to consider all possible variants to control the software, such as hand or finger, the eye, a foot, head, etc. "he said.

"To address these needs we are developing software that is compatible with Windows and Linux platform which allows the user to use a virtual keyboard that can be programmed the same as that of a conventional computer to write like anyone else or have an so short of words and even sentences.

It will also have a version iconographic and each key can contain several meanings, which would access through different sequences. For example, a key with an apple could mean "apple" and "red" would be "hungry" and to use it, just change the position in which press the apple during the sequence.

Another way in which software is encoded morse code, and although the difficulty here is having to learn the language, the advantage is that the number of elements to learn is reduced and this would facilitate users to engage in conversation via the software.

The researcher said that software development so far has taken them four and a half, and this is because prior to development was also conducted research on the construction of language in human beings which laid the foundation for generating a program easy to understand for users.

Currently, he said, the research includes a new version (prototype level) of the program and which provides for the integration of artificial neural networks-system interconnection of neurons in a network that collaborates to produce a stimulus output, and optimize the structuring of the conversation to engage the user.

Finally, he stated that in the first instance the project includes the implementation of the software at the Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology in the area of Biomedical Engineering UIA itself, besides its use for training physical therapists, and even did not rule out in the future be sold or donated to poor people.

Source: Wawis
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