A hand held two-channel vibro-tactile speech communication aid for the deaf: characteristics and results.
The OSCAR-project (Optimal Speech Communication Assistance for Residual Abilities) within the TIDE frame is aiming at processing the speech signal in such a way so that it can be more effectively aurally perceived than with an ordinary hearing aid in case of a very small residual hearing. In case of total deafness the code will be tactile and in some cases a multi modal approach will be tried. One of the sub-results of the OSCAR-project is a hand held vibro-tactile speech communication aid for profoundly hard of hearing and deaf persons. The main idea of the aid is that it should not be a general tactile hearing aid, but rather give optimum tactile support to lip-reading in a close communication situation. It should be used when speech communication is necessary and other methods of communication i.e. sign language, lip-reading, reading and writing etc. does not work. The aid conveys two types of information via its two vibro-tactile transducers; the syllabic rhythm and frication. This paper describes some characteristics of the aid and some results.
Spens
K E
KE
Dept. of Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden.
Huss
C
C
Dahlqvist
M
M
Agelfors
E
E
D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014159:Transducers; D014732:Vibration