One MassChallenge 2014 startup wants to gives stroke victims and other verbally impaired people their voices back.
On Monday, VoiceItt launched its IndieGoGo campaign in hopes of raising $50,000 to further develop its product, a self-learning, personalized digital “dictionary,” and prep for commercialization.
The Israeli-born and Boston-based company started around two years ago, when founder Danny Weissberg’s grandmother suffered a stroke that impaired her speech.
“After speaking with occupational therapists, we realized there was something really different here, we can change and dramatically improve people’s lives,” Weissberg told BostInno.
The focus then became finding a way to use the human voice, no matter its variations, as “a natural user interface,” shared Weissberg.
The startup’s software, TalkItt, allows users to create their own dictionary of sounds and their meanings. A speech-disabled person will say a word, and with the help of a caregiver enter its meaning into TalkItt. The multi-lingual software becomes gradually “smarter,” and gets better at connecting between what the person is saying and what he or she is trying to say, explained Weissberg. The result is that patients can participate in everyday activities, from shopping to participating in class.
Importantly, TalkItt actually empowers individuals to improve their speech, small steps at a time.
“All other solutions are currently bypassing voice, they’re very important but less useful,” said Weissberg. “TalkItt encourages the person to speak and use the technology to improve his speech.”
The six-person startup has raised around $400,000 from government funding and investors in new York City to aid in its alpha pilot. Eventually, Weissberg hopes to incorporate the software, which is now designed for mobile and tablets, into wearables, like smartwatches and Google Glass.
VoiceItt plans on charging users around $20 a month. In addition to stroke victims, the software is also made for people who have difficulty communicating due to cerebral palsy, autism and Parkinson's disease.
Learn more about VoiceItt and TalkItt in the video below:
