New App Lets You Donate Voice

Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have developed a new app through which people can donate their voice that can be customized into synthetic speech and used for helping those who are unable to speak.

The university has developed the app under a new program called the VocaliD with the co-director of the program and speech scientist Rupal Patel expressing confidence that the project will help people who are suffering from severe speech impediments because of a stroke, Parkinson's or cerebral palsy.

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Language acquisition occurs mostly by hearing and listening. But when there is a problem in the auditory pathway, deliberate measures are needed for the process that otherwise occurs so naturally.

The researchers said that the only option for such patients is to use generic computerized voices, similar to the one currently being used by Stephen Hawking. With the new program, the researchers can record the minimum amount of noise that the patients can emit, decide whether it's high-pitched, raspy or breathy and then select a donor who is similar in age and of the same sex.

Source-Medindia

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