This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but it's affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems to be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say "no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to say "You $#%@!". This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any suggestions on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a pertinent web site? Thanks. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/ "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" came out in April. See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
[OT] -- Voice for Stroke Victims
Started by ●January 29, 2007
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
"Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in message news:IPWdnUxRJvgB5SDYnZ2dnUVZ_qyjnZ2d@web-ster.com...> This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. > > My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but it's > affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. > > My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite good > at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems to be > fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a > remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say "no". > Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to say "You > $#%@!". > > This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find > anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any suggestions > on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a pertinent web > site? > > Thanks.Tim, How about something as simple as a light backed panel with "NO", "YES", and "FSK OFF" that are selected by separate buttons? It would be easy to have the button activated box as a hand held. Or you can put several items up in a panel on a wall with a remote IR (or other tech) to activate them. Perhaps with a buzzer or tone that goes off at the same time to direct their attention to the panel. Robert
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
Tim Wescott wrote:> This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. > > My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but it's > affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. > > My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite > good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems to > be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a > remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say > "no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to > say "You $#%@!". > > This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find > anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any suggestions > on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a pertinent web > site?We are not only a smart bunch, but a capable one. Assuming you find nothing, let's make something. The first pass doesn't need to be remotely operated. A small box, a few AAA cells, three pushbuttons with LED readout and a plug for an optional panel above and behind her. Later, the panel becomes a vocoder chip with a few well chosen words and phrases. When that works, *then* think about an IR interface. I'd likely demean you by offering design help, but I'm game if you need it. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
Jerry Avins wrote:> Tim Wescott wrote: > >> This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. >> >> My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but >> it's affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. >> >> My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite >> good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems >> to be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a >> remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say >> "no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to >> say "You $#%@!". >> >> This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find >> anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any >> suggestions on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a >> pertinent web site? > > > > We are not only a smart bunch, but a capable one. Assuming you find > nothing, let's make something. The first pass doesn't need to be > remotely operated. A small box, a few AAA cells, three pushbuttons with > LED readout and a plug for an optional panel above and behind her. > Later, the panel becomes a vocoder chip with a few well chosen words and > phrases. When that works, *then* think about an IR interface. I'd likely > demean you by offering design help, but I'm game if you need it. > > JerryHow about those Scrolling LED Badges. The ones I have purchased in the past had PIC processors in them. Reprogramming one with an IR detector so that it can display a) pre-programmed messages, b) chars from a IR keyboard. donald
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
Tim Wescott wrote:> This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. > > My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but it's > affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. > > My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite > good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems to > be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a > remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say > "no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to > say "You $#%@!". > > This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find > anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any suggestions > on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a pertinent web > site?Until that box is made available, try this on your XP notebook: Start > Control Panel > Speech > Text to Speech tab > Type something into the Preview Speech box and click 'Preview Voice' It is cool. --Winston
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
Tim Wescott wrote:>My aunt recently had a major stroke >[...]she'll probably never regain her speech. >[...]she's quite good at handling a TV remote. >[...]made her wonder if anyone makes a remote-sized thingie >with a button to say "yes" and a button to say "no".To get more than one on-demand audio response http://froogle.google.com/froogle? scoring=p&price=between&price1=1&q=record.messages.that.require.users.t o.make.choices.*.* is a lot more expensive than a general-purpose item http://froogle.google.com/froogle? scoring=p&price=between&price1=1&q=Digital-Voice-Recorder but perhaps *more than 1* of the cheapies... http://froogle.google.com/froogle? scoring=p&price=between&price1=1&q=Message-Recorder http://froogle.google.com/froogle? scoring=p&price=between&price1=1&q=Record.messages.for.friends
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
Winston wrote:> Tim Wescott wrote: > >> This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. >> >> My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but >> it's affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. >> >> My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite >> good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems >> to be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a >> remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say >> "no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to >> say "You $#%@!". >> >> This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find >> anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any >> suggestions on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a >> pertinent web site? > > > Until that box is made available, try this on your XP notebook: > Start > Control Panel > Speech > Text to Speech tab > > Type something into the Preview Speech box and click 'Preview Voice' > > It is cool. > > --WinstonAnd: http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php Somewhat cooler. --Winston
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:31:37 -0800, the renowned Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote:>This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. > >My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but it's >affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her speech. > >My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite >good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems to >be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a >remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say >"no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to >say "You $#%@!". > >This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find >anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any suggestions >on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a pertinent web >site? > >Thanks.Yes, Tim there is a fair range of such devices for suitable for people who suffer from aphasia. Costs are a bit silly high, but usually it's covered by some kind of insurance or another. Suggest you ask the PT for recommendations. Here's what looks like an exhaustive list if you want to investigate further yourself: http://www.cigna.com/customer_care/healthcare_professional/coverage_positions/medical/mm_0049_coveragepositioncriteria_speech_generating_devices.pdf Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:31:37 -0800, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote:>My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite >good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems to >be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a >remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say >"no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to >say "You $#%@!".http://www.aacconnections.com/html/text_to_speech_devices.htm http://www.ace-centre.org.uk/vocapages/detail.asp?selectvoca=Spok21 Mit freundlichen Gr��en Frank-Christian Kr�gel
Reply by ●January 29, 20072007-01-29
"Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in message news:IPWdnUxRJvgB5SDYnZ2dnUVZ_qyjnZ2d@web-ster.com...> This is totally off topic, but you're a smart bunch. > > My aunt recently had a major stroke. She's coming back to us, but > it's affected her severely and she'll probably never regain her > speech. > > My mother was visiting her the other day and noticed that she's quite > good at handling a TV remote. This, plus the fact that my aunt seems > to be fine at understanding people made her wonder if anyone makes a > remote-sized thingie with a button to say "yes" and a button to say > "no". Frankly, I think Aunt would vastly amused by a third button to > say "You $#%@!". > > This seems like an obvious thing to have available, yet I cannot find > anything. Has anyone run across such a beastie, or have any > suggestions on search terms that might make Google or Yahoo cough up a > pertinent web site?One would think there would be quite a market for such a device, perhaps with ten different buttons, for areas other than disability support. For a start, when in a foreign land then you could get a lot done with 10 basic phrases.
