Effective Self-Expression for People with Severe Speech Disorders

描述（由申请人提供）：语音生成设备（SGD）为难以理解语音（构音障碍）的人提供合成语音替代其自然语音。然而，需要SGD的人通常更喜欢使用他们的自然语音，因为它被认为是正常的，并且对说话者的认知要求比其他通信方法低。此外，自然语音还带有合成语音无法比拟的个人认同感。我们提出了一种新的通信设备类型，命名为真实的谈话，它增强了个人的自然语音能力，而不是取代它。我们通过我们独特的语音识别技术来实现这一点，我们专门为构音障碍患者开发，并与我们的单词预测软件紧密结合。这种语音识别和单词预测的结合大大减少了生成消息所需的键入。在这个项目中，我们将改进我们现有的语音识别系统，使用噪声容忍麦克风，使准确的识别在嘈杂的环境。我们将补充自然构音障碍的语音与书面转录面对面的谈话，并提供合成语音输出其他通信环境。构音障碍患者将在实验室和现实生活环境中评估该技术，并测量该设备对交流互动的影响。 公共卫生相关性：当人们有身体残疾，他们的语言很难或不可能理解时，拟议的设备可以帮助他们有效地沟通。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Speech generating devices (SGDs) offer people with difficult to understand speech (dysarthria) a synthesized speech replacement for their natural speech. However, people who require SGDs often prefer using their natural speech because it is perceived as normal and is cognitively less demanding for the speaker than other communication methods. Additionally, natural speech carries with it a sense of personal identity that synthesized speech cannot match. We propose a new genre of communication device, named Real Talk, which augments an individual's natural speech ability instead of replacing it. We accomplish this through our unique speech recognition technology, which we developed specifically for individuals with dysarthria and that integrates tightly with our word prediction software. This combination of speech recognition and word prediction substantially reduces the typing required to produce messages. For this project we will improve our existing speech recognition system to use noise- tolerant microphones that enable accurate recognition in noisy environments. We will supplement natural dysarthric speech with a written transcript for face-to-face conversations and provide synthesized speech output for other communication environments. Individuals with dysarthria will evaluate the technology in laboratory and real-life settings and the impact of this device on communicative interactions will be measured. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed device helps people to communicate effectively when they have physical disability and their speech is difficult or impossible to understand.