SBIR Phase II: (IT-B5) Feasibility to run novel voice interface on a low-power microcontroller

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段研究项目将实施一个适合视障用户访问要求的微型信息管理系统。目前为视障人士提供的信息技术速度缓慢，在手持白色手杖或导盲犬时难以操作。视力受损者将大大受益于一个免提/免视信息系统，该系统操作更快，更容易访问。该项目将开发一种名为Vivian的语音操作个人数字助理（PDA），其速度比盲文PDA快10倍。第一阶段的研究结果表明，实时语音处理算法的可行性集成微控制器没有硬件浮点运算。这个第二阶段项目的成果预计将产生一个类似于最先进的媒体播放器的可穿戴设备，其处理速度快10倍，尺寸小10倍。全球有超过1.6亿视障人士，仅美国就有1000万，拟议中的研究是朝着一种设备迈出的关键一步，这种设备将比目前的设备更好地满足他们的移动的信息管理需求替代品.此外，该设备应该影响视力正常的人的移动的信息管理。在第一阶段项目期间进行的使用多种语言的有视力用户的可用性试验的结果表明，对于有视力和视力受损的用户来说，图形用户界面的强大而快速的替代人机界面的结果。此外，这种语音技术适合于集成到移动的设备中，例如移动的电话，其在2007年销售超过3亿部。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project will implement a miniature information management system that is suitable to the access requirements for visually impaired users. Current information technologies for the visually impaired are slow and difficult to operate while holding a white cane or guide dog. Visually impaired people will benefit greatly from a hands-free/eyes-free information system that is much faster to operate and easier to access. The project will develop a voice-operated personal digital assistant (PDA), called Vivian, which performs 10 times faster than Braille PDAs. The outcome of the Phase I study demonstrated the feasibility of real-time speech processing algorithms on integrated microcontrollers without hardware floating-point arithmetic. The outcome of this Phase II project is anticipated to result in a wearable device similar to a state of the art media player with 10X faster processing and 10X smaller in size.With more than 160 million visually impaired people worldwide, 10 million in the US alone, the proposed research is a critical step towards a device that will address their mobile information management needs significantly better than current alternatives. Moreover, this device should impact mobile information management for sighted people. The results of usability trials with sighted users speaking multiple languages conducted during the Phase I project, indicate that the outcomes of a powerful and fast alternative human computer interface to graphical user interfaces for sighted and visually impaired users. Additionally, this voice technology is suitable for integration into mobile appliances such as mobile phones for which over 300 million were sold in 2007.