16-year-old Invents Device that Can Convert Breath to Speech
Sep 15, 2014
A High-school student Arsh Shah Dilbagi has invented a portable and affordable device that converts breath into speech, helping people suffering from different developmental disabilities like locked-in syndrome, Parkinson's, or ALS to communicate using only their breath. A 16-year-old Dilbagi who hails from Harayana's Panipat region in India has come up as the only entry from Asia in the 15 global finalists at the Google Science Fair 2014 , a competition open to 13 to 18 year old thinkers. This augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, Dilbagi dubbed it as ' Talk ', can turn breath signals into speech using the assistance of Morse code. This innovative device can be used by people with developmental disabilities whose communication abilities are impaired. Over 1.4 percent of the world's total population suffers from some disorder that renders victims almost completely paralyzed, making them difficult in speaking and forcing them to use an