There has been interest recently in the idea of a sensor-based system allowing speech communication via standard articulators, but without glottal activity ; that is, a silent speech interface.
Two distinct types of application can be envisioned :
an alternative to tracheo-oesophagal speech (TES) for persons having undergone a tracheotomy - a prosthesis for patients who have lost the use of their vocal chords.
a "silent telephone" for use in situations where quiet must be maintained, or for communication in very noisy environments.
The Ouisper project proposes to build a device for production of intelligible speech, from ultrasound and optical imagery of the tongue and lips - without activation of the vocal chords.
Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris Laboratoire d'Electronique |
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Télécom Paris Laboratoire de Traitement et Communication de l'Information |
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Vocal Tract Visualization Lab University of Maryland |
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Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI |
Study of ultrasound and optical vocal tract data acquistion and 3-D modeling techniques for a real time speech synthesis application.