The global Google Science Fair is showcasing some of the most talented and bright young individuals in the world. One such innovator is a 16-year-old from India, Arsh Shah Dilbagi, who goes by the name 'Robo'. He has created a device that allows individuals suffering from developmental disabilities to communicate by converting short or long breaths into words and sentences.

According to the youngsters project page, approximately 1.4 percent of the world population suffer from disorders such as LIS or ALS, preventing effective communication. Their life expentency is lowered by roughly 20 years mainly due to lack of expression. He wanted to come up with a new piece of technology that could benifit the world and change the lives of those suffering from speech disorders.

"I was forced to think myself that in the world of technology isn't there a better and affordable solution? Robo wrote in his project report, "An AAC device which can be used by people suffering from any kind of speech disorder. A device which is generic, affordable, has faster speaking rate, portable and consumes less power."

The device, called 'Talk', simply requires a person to be able to give two distinguishable exhales, either short and long or varying in intensity. The device converts the input into electric signals which are then processed as dots and dashes. These signals are then interpreted again by the device as Morse Code which is converted into words and sentences. Talk features two modes, one to communicate freely and the other to give pre-programmed commands or phrases. The device also features 9 different voice options.

"After quite some research, I hypothesised that a pressure sensor can be used to monitor variations in breath and generate two distinguishable signals, said the young inventor, "these signals can be further processed as a binary language and synthesised into speech accordingly."

Talk has shown to improve speaking rate when compared to other AAC devices as well as being a fraction of the cost.

"In future I would like to add auto-predictions to my Computing-Engine and integrate Talk with modern technology like Google Glass to make the world a better place to live people with Developmental-Disabilities," he concluded


http://motoring.howzit.msn.com/innovation/design/16-year-old-innovator-creates-new-communication-device

See wetin better 16year old dey think? All our teenagers want to do now is sag their pants, wear tight-fitting tops and insult elders!