Most of us can speak whenever we want. It might not always be the most useful or wise thing to come out of our mouths, but the point is we have that option. However, there are many people out there who don't. Various conditions limit or completely reduce to zero the ability to speak, cutting off a critical line of communication with the rest of the world. A company called Smartstones aims to change this using technology based on electroencephalography and a mobile application. In other words: Turning thoughts into words.
One of the most compelling examples of using technology to restore, at least partially, a person's ability to communicate is that of Stephen Hawking. His amyotrophic lateral sclerosis continues to advance, but new developments have allowed him to share his thoughts with the world, even if his speed is only one or two words per minute. The body fails, but our minds keep working. What we need are bridges, alternative pathways to convert what we think into what we want to say. My words reach NeoTeo readers primarily through a keyboard, a mechanical and effective method, but it requires a certain motor ability. Stephen Hawking and many others do not have it. Where is the "keyboard" for all of them? Where are the bridges...?
Smartstones and the Democratization of Voice
The folks at Smartstones talk about a "democratization of the voice". The phrase sounds a bit strange, but not if we change perspective: what for us is common and ordinary, for others is an unattainable privilege. The first part of Smartstones' plan is based on :prose, an iOS-compatible app that converts touch and gestures into words. Thanks to the presentation video, we discover that :prose has great potential in the educational environment, but there is something even more powerful. :prose, combined with an EEG system like the Emotiv Insight or the Epoc, gives the user the possibility to "think" those same gestures, causing :prose to speak as if it were interacting with the software directly.
The company highlights that the learning curve is very simple, and could reduce to minutes the training sessions, when other much more complex systems require years of trial, error, and adaptation. The price of the application alone is 59 dollars, and as mentioned above, its compatibility is limited to iOS. Anyone interested in applying :prose in classrooms can access a subscription of ten dollars per month, while the EEG program is in beta phase, and requires registration. Personally, I wish them the best, and I hope their success triggers the development of similar, more advanced, and why not economical programs.
