Help for this final project-> Phone set for blind people

[TheCresent]

for this project is to helps the blind people in making a call. Each key when pressed produce a audio sound of the number pressed. To confirm the digits pressed is correct an additional key should repeat all the digits pressed in audio.

Can anyone give me any information or comment on this project??
Anything to intro or any books in order for me to do this project??
do u guy think is hard??
I don't even know where to start, i cannot find a circuit diagram of it..

 

[berkeman]

Here's some reading to get you started with speech synthesis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_synthesis

What hardware do you have to work with? Are you going to design and build your own custom hardware, or can you write a PC program to do it?

 

[Danger]

You might be able to adapt existing technology for it. My wife's niece and nephew are both blind, and have talking watches. The niece also has a talking weigh-scale. Logic would suggest that you could merge the synthesizer part of one of those with a custom driver circuit connected to the phone's display system. I have no idea how, though.

 

[TheCresent]

wow~~ voice synthesis..
seem like very high standard for me.. speech syntesis is like writing text in a panel or whatever and in the end produce the output called artificial human 's speec is it??

I only thought of doing the pressed button for the user and just like a normal phone.. but the buttons are designed in such a way that the blind user can feel the number and then press it.. After pressing it, the phone will produce sound to indicate which number the used had pressed.

I have no idea on how to design my own custom hardware but i will be able to write pc programming by learning.. For designing thing like own circuit, may be a bit too tough for me.. i search through internet also cannot find such project title, so dissapointed..

 

[berkeman]

Why be disappointed? Heck, you can make your PC talk pretty easily.

You need to tell us what you *really* want to do, and what resources you *really* have available. Plus what educational level this poject is for.

I have a personal level of experience with vision impairments. You need to be explicit in your next post.

 

[TheCresent]

well, from my first post i already describe about what i really want to do. It is jus the description of the project but there can be various of way to do it and it depend on how i want to do it.
what do you mean i make my PC talk pretty easily??
Do you mean the PC announce the number which user press?
i get some idea from you, i just think of using a panel, just like those panel of PDA's panel. Either the user is blind or not blind will also think of this product, because with this product, they can write the number they want to dial. The PC will announce the number being write and dial eventually. After dialing, communication can be make just using a MIC and the SPEAKER. By walking this path, i reduce the hardware i need and i think the programming won't be hard also. But i have to learn how to communicate with the PC because i never done this before. Somehow, many of my friend say communicate or interface to PC is quite troublesome. Any Comment?? Do you think is possible to do this?? Any difficulties i will face?

By the way, i am now in Final year of my degree of electrical & electronic and this is the final project..

 

[berkeman]

Speech synthesis on a PC is very common:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_synthesis

As is speech recognition on things like cell phones for dialing numbers. My wife dials most of her cell phone calls by just speaking the name of the person she wants to call (she's trained her phone previously with the spoken versions of the names in her phone number list).

I guess what I'm asking about your particular project, is what kind of skills do you have, and how do you want to build your projecdt. Like, what are your PC programming skills? Are you fluent in C++, Tcl/Tk, Python, VB, or other languages? If you want to program up your own interface to an Analog IO card to make your own simple speech recognition and synthesis interface, you will need to have some good programming skills, and find some suitable Analog IO hardware interface to use.

Or if you have good circuit design and construcdtion skills, you can make a simple speech synthesis circuit yourself (using either applicaiton specific speech synthesis chips or making your own with a ROM-based circuit).

What do you think your main options are for making this project?

 

[TheCresent]

well... for the project description given by the lecturer is each key when pressed produce audio sound of number pressed.
For the outcome of the project is to have a key pad that produces an audio sound of the corresponding key pressed. Also an additional key to repeat all the keys pressed in audio for checking whether the number dialed is correct.

I don't know whether i am allow to do voice synthesis or not cos it is not described in the description. I will try to ask me lecturer whether i can change a bit about the description of it or not. I learned C++, Java and VB before. However, i just need to refresh my memory because it had been a long time i never touch those. I don't have any good in designing circuit. Neither does all my classmate, all we do is just find some circuit diagram and do according to it and understand it and change some value or component if needed to get the accurate result. Even if is simple circuit i think i also desgin myself.. Haiz..

 

[Danger]

Let's look at another approach, then. First off, where are you? Here, each button already makes a specific sound. All that you would have to do in that case is attach a solid-state voice recorder to the handset. It wouldn't even need to be wired in; accoustic coupling would be fine.

 

[berkeman]

Let's look at another approach, then. First off, where are you? Here, each button already makes a specific sound. All that you would have to do in that case is attach a solid-state voice recorder to the handset. It wouldn't even need to be wired in; accoustic coupling would be fine.

Interesting point, Danger. That would make it a nice portable device. But it also got me to thinking more about how the device would be best to use for visually impaired folks -- I think what would work better is more like a pre-check-dialer thing. That way they can put in the number, and "backspace" if they hit a wrong key, and review the full number at the end before hitting the "dial" button.

In fact, an even better real device would include the voice recognition option that I mentioned in an earlier post here. So the person could enter in numbers using the enhanced keypad, and then say the name they want to associate with the number (probably several times for learning purposes), and then enter that into their phone number directory. So in the future, if they want to dial that person, they could do it via the verbal shortcut.

 

[TheCresent]

yea.. thanks for it
I will like to add the voice recognition if possible but first I have to aim for the main objective first, then I will try and go for voice recognition.. I am not really good in practical, as my study is mainly based on studies and theories..

I haven't meet my supervisor but just start the final project briefing, I need my supervisor go give me directional on my first step. I try to find any resources or information about it but invain, can anyone recommend me any website about doing any circuit or etc?? which can help me to advance in my project.

 

[TheCresent]

The project that i done before in my diploma is only based on hardware.. I think this will be involved in programming.. Can someone give me what programming or book which can recommend me.. As this project is due on Sep i want to study and learn as fast as i can...

And another, since every button will produce a specific sound... In order to record the specific sound I need something like Speech recorder or Digital sound recorder right?? To store the speech and go through series of programming to produce the sound when the button is being pressed... is it?? correct me if i am wrong