16-year-old invents device to convert breath to speech

This is no government funded university project… 16-year-old high school student Arsh Shah Dilbagi from India has developed a device that converts breath to speech. Dilbagi says that 1.4% of the globe’s population are physically unable to express themselves and this was the inspiration for his project.

He is the only entry from Asia to reach the final 15 entries to the Google Science Fair 2014, a competition for 13-18 year olds. His device, ‘Talk’, has the potential to help a large number of people, roughly the population of Germany.

“In nutshell, Talk has the potential to change the world by enabling people with disorders like LIS, ALS etc., speech impairments like Dysarthria and even Mutes to communicate and interact with the world like never before,” Dilbagi says. “It’s my turn to change the world.”

Stephen Hawking uses an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, however it is rather expensive, bulky, and not accessible to most. Dilbagi’s device is light, portable and costs just $80US. The device converts breath to speech with the use of Morse code.

Using a basic $25 Arduino microcontroller as the core of the device, a special microphone called MEMS Microphone converts the breathing pattern into electrical signals. This technology uses a pressure-sensitive diaphragm etched directly onto a silicon microchip, and an amplifying device to increase the sound of the user’s breath.

The user gives distinguishable exhales that vary in length and intensity and this can then be translated using Morse code into speech or other commands. Microprocessors compute the electrical signals and convert them into speech, with the device currently offering 9 different voices.

“After testing the final design with myself and friends and family, I was able to arrange a meeting with the Head of Neurology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi and tested TALK (under supervision of doctor and in controlled environment) with a person suffering from SEM and Parkinson’s Disease,” Dilbagi explained. “The person was able to give two distinguishable signals using his breath and the device worked perfectly.”

It took him three months of research and another seven months to build the final prototype. Voting for the competition closes on September 15 and Google will announce the winners on September 23. Winners will get a 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands, a visit to the Virgin Galactic Spaceport, and $50,000 in scholarship funding.

Via: [Science Alert]
Cast your vote: [Google Science Fair 2014]