Month: October 2019

Google’s New Accessibility Projects

On October 21, 2019

Google has recently unveiled 3 separate efforts to bring technology to those with disabilities to help make their daily lives easier and more accessible. The three projects are Project Euphonia, which aims to help those with speech impairments; Live Relay, which assists anyone who is hard of hearing; and Project Diva, which aims to give autonomy and independence to people with the help of Google Assist.

More than 15% of people in the United States live with a disability, and that number is only expected to grow in the years ahead as we grow older and start living longer. There has never been a better time to try to harness the power of our technology to help make the lives of the disabled more comfortable and fulfilling.

Project Euphonia

Project Euphonia aims to help those with speech difficulties caused by cerebral palsy, autism, and other developmental disorders, as well as neurologic conditions like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), stroke, MS (multiple sclerosis), Parkinson’s Disease, or traumatic brain injuries. Google’s aim with Project Euphonia is to use the power of AI to help computers understand speech that is impaired with improved accuracy, and then, in turn, use those computers to make sure everyone using the service can be understood.

Google has partnered with the ALS Residence Initiative and the ALS Therapy Development Institute to record voices of men and women with ALS, and have worked on optimizing algorithms that can help to transcribe and recognize their words more reliably.

Live Relay

Live Relay was set up with the goal of bringing voice calls to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. By using a phone’s own speech recognition and text-to-speech software, users will be able to let the phone listen and speak on their behalf, making it possible to speak to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.

Google also plans to integrate real-time translation into their Live Relay software, allowing anyone in the world to speak to one another regardless of any language barrier.

Project Diva

Project Diva helps those who are nonverbal or suffer from limited mobility to give Google Assistant commands without needing to use their voice, but instead by using an external switch device.

The device is a small box into which an assistive button is plugged. The signal coming from the button is then converted by the box into a command sent to the Google Assistant.

For now, Project Diva is limited to single-purpose buttons, but they are currently devising a system that makes use of RFID tags which they can then associate with certain specific commands.

How AI is Improving Assistive Technology

By Russ Ewell

On October 1, 2019

In Blog, Russ Ewell

Assistive technology is an AI-based solution that helps people and businesses save time and simplifies processes. Many businesses have adopted forms of assistive technology, such as automation, in their operations to increase efficiency. Ultimately, automation and robotics are becoming more sophisticated and are playing an increasing role in the workplace in many operations. However, a lesser-known function for AI is how it is improving and advancing assistive technology for individuals with disabilities.

AI for Medicinal Purposes

One of the areas where AI has developed rapidly is the medical industry, as physicians can now track patients through electronic medical devices. Smart devices are helping save lives by alerting medical professionals in emergency situations. AI-based devices can track heart rate, blood pressure, and many other physical processes of patients. Robots can be programmed to assist individuals with disabilities with certain tasks like making emergency calls or reminding a patient to take medication.

Communicative Assistance

Many new developments are in the works to help improve communication among individuals with disabilities. A highly accurate device that converts sign language into text or voice makes communication easier between those with and without hearing impairments. A 3D camera tracking body movement is also revolutionizing the possibilities of AI. Assistive technology can potentially change someone’s life at a personal and professional level.

Smart Glasses and Hearing Aids

Some of the innovations on the horizon for assistive technology include smart glasses and cognitive hearing aids. Augmented reality glass enhances a certain component of sight, developed by Google, which has been working on smart glass projects throughout the decade. Cognitive hearing aids that track brain waves are now on display at Columbia University School of Engineering.

Other AI Applications

There are several other AI applications in the medical industry, many of which relate to wearables. University of Houston researchers are currently testing a biofeedback rehabilitation wearable, which consists of a belt made of vibrating actuators. These actuators are sensors that map out real-movement of the individual wearing the belt. By collecting and analyzing data on a daily basis, the system can monitor behaviors associated with Parkinson’s Disease.

Assistive learning is focused on improving the quality of life for individuals with a variety of disabilities. Innovative ideas ushered in by AI technology allow for a growing range of solutions that these individuals did not experience prior to the development of wearables. In the future, we expect many new opportunities for assistive technology advances with the help of AI devices.