GURGAON: Arsh Shah Dilbagi, a 16-year-old from Panipat, has entered the
Google's Global Science Fair as the only finalist from Asia this year
for developing a device that helps people with developmental
disabilities, like Locked-In Syndrome and ALS, communicate, using only
their breath.
The device, called 'TALK', uses signals from a
person's breath via Morse code, picked up by a sensor, and then converts
them into speech. Dilbagi, a student of DAV International School,
Panipat, says the device even allows almost entirely speech impaired and
paralyzed people to communicate like never before.
Claiming to
have built the world's fastest and cheapest Augmentative and
Alternative Communication (AAC) device, a kind used by physicist Stephen
Hawking, Dilbagi says it is not possible for all those who have
motor-neuro disabilities to afford an AAC device that costs $7,000 (Rs
4.26 lakh).
"AAC devices available in the market are very
expensive, slow, bulky and not generic. I decided to find a better
solution — an AAC device which is faster, portable and generic and costs
only $80 (Rs 5000), making it affordable to the large population," he
explains.
The young innovator says that TALK expects a person
to be able to give two distinguishable exhales with varying intensities,
for converting them into electrical signals using a microphone. The
signals are processed by a microprocessor, called the 'Morse engine',
which labels the short exhales as 'dots' and longer exhales as 'dashes'.
These are further interpreted through the Morse code which converts the
signals into words and then sends them to another microprocessor for
synthesizing them into voice. According to Dilbagi, TALK features two
modes - one to communicate in English, and the other to give specific
commands and phrases. These are communicated in nine different voices
enabled according to gender and age.
Making two major
breakthroughs; increasing the speaking rate, and becoming the world's
most affordable AAC device, TALK has landed the young prodigy as the
only finalist from Asia in Google's Science Fair Challenge.
"I
even got predicted results by testing the device on a person suffering
from encephalopathy (global brain dysfunction) and Parkinson's disease,"
he has claimed in his proposal to Google.
He adds, "In future,
I would like to add auto-predictions to my computing engine and
integrate TALK with modern technology like Google Glass to make it
easier for people with development disabilities."
Dilbagi's father, Amit, said, that since childhood his son had dreamt of doing something meaningful for mankind.
"His attention has always been towards applied science projects. I will
request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister
Harshvardhan to consider this project for the countless people in need
for such a device in our country," he told TOI.
Apple
Guests including Ian MCKellen, Ellie Goulding and Lulu splashed out
$5,100 each on tickets to the exclusive gala, which was held in the
grounds of John's mansion in Berksh
