An app to let you ‘donate’ your voice to speech-impaired
LONDON: A new smartphone app may allow people to donate their voice to be customized into synthetic speech for those who are unable to speak, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, say. The app is being developed under a programme called VocaliD, which aims to give a voice to those with severe speech impediments because of a stroke, Parkinson's or cerebral palsy, for example.
Generally, such patients are stuck with generic computerized voices, like physicist Stephen Hawking. "For these individuals, this is the only way that they interact with people around them," said Rupal Patel, a speech scientist at Northeastern University in Boston and VocaliD's co-director.
The researchers listen to the limited sounds their patients can produce. These utterances show what that person's speech might sound like — whether it's highpitched, raspy or breathy.
A surrogate who is similar in age and the same sex is selected to donate his or her voice. That person reads several thousand sample sentences, sourced from books like 'White Fang', 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and 'The Velveteen Rabbit'. Then, using a software tool called ModelTalker, the surrogate's voice is blended with the patient's and stripped down into the tiny units that make up speech.
Using this method, the group has built a handful of personalized voices. But the process is slow, since surrogates must come to a studio to record for hours. It takes at least 800 sentences to create a usable voice, AGENCIES
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Generally, such patients are stuck with generic computerized voices, like physicist Stephen Hawking. "For these individuals, this is the only way that they interact with people around them," said Rupal Patel, a speech scientist at Northeastern University in Boston and VocaliD's co-director.
The researchers listen to the limited sounds their patients can produce. These utterances show what that person's speech might sound like — whether it's highpitched, raspy or breathy.
A surrogate who is similar in age and the same sex is selected to donate his or her voice. That person reads several thousand sample sentences, sourced from books like 'White Fang', 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and 'The Velveteen Rabbit'. Then, using a software tool called ModelTalker, the surrogate's voice is blended with the patient's and stripped down into the tiny units that make up speech.
Using this method, the group has built a handful of personalized voices. But the process is slow, since surrogates must come to a studio to record for hours. It takes at least 800 sentences to create a usable voice, AGENCIES
Hi guys If u like this post please leave a comment in comment box... comment box will top right of every post and bottom of every post. its useful for me give a better information.. check top of the blog there is menu bar in that go to comments i replied for u r comments because there is no direct option for reply for u r comments. if u want to give any suggestion in bottom of blog there is contact information option please leave a msgs with u r mail id sure i will get u.
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