SPEECH-GENERATING DEVICES

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What is a Speech-Generating Device?• A Speech-Generating Device (SGD) is an electronic

Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) system.

Which is used to supplement or replace one's speech or writing if he or she is experiencing a language deficiency following a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or illness.

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• An SGD is an electronic aided-communication system that provides voice output and enables one to use pictures, symbols, words, and phrases to create messages.

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• A speech generating device ( SGD ), also referred to as voice-output communication aids ( VOCA ), are electronic devices that allow the user to select messages to be spoken aloud, thereby assisting people who are unable to use natural speech to meet the majority of their communication needs.

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• Speech generating devices can produce electronic voice output by using digitized recordings of natural speech or through speech synthesis.

• which may carry less emotional information but can permit the user to speak novel messages.

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What is speech synthesis ?• Speech synthesis is the artificial production of

human speech.

• A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products

• A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal language text into speech; other systems render symbolic linguistic representations like phonetic transcriptions into speech.

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• Synthesized speech can be created by concatenating pieces of recorded speech that are stored in a database.

Overview of a typical TTS system

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Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous people using speech synthesis to communicate.

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• Hawking is paralyzed due to a degenerative disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

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Cheek movement is detected by an infrared switch that is mounted on his spectacles

Tablet computer mounted on the arm of his wheelchair is powered by wheelchair batteries, although the tablets internal battery will keep the computer running if necessary.

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• A cursor automatically scans across this keyboard by row or by column. Then he can select a character by moving my cheek to stop the cursor.

• There’s word prediction algorithm, so usually only have to type the first couple of characters.

Computer and speech synthesizer housing used by Stephen Hawking in 1999

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• Then he able to talk, compose speeches lectures and research papers, browse the Internet, and write e-mails.

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Fixed And Dynamic Display Devices

• Fixed display devices

Fixed display devices refer to those in which the symbols and items are "fixed" in a particular format

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• Dynamic display devices

Dynamic displays devices are usually also touchscreen devices.

They typically generate electronically produced visual symbols

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THANK YOU

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