Handheld Transcription Device for the Hearing Impaired

The team’s long-term mission statement for this program is “to commercialize a handheld device that provides speaker-identified speech-to-text transcription of multiple English-language speakers in noisy environments.” In Phase I, the team will conduct research in the required technical areas and determine the commercial feasibility of achieving this objective. Specifically, the team will identify and investigate design options for the transcription system and select the best option(s) to pursue in making the design a reality. SpeechGear will team with Sail Technologies and Acoustic Magic on this effort. This project will directly leverage the capabilities of all three firms, with significant research being applied to the DARPA-Hard aspect of identification and extraction of each speaker’s voice from noisy environments. The commercial feasibility of this design will be investigated by identifying viability of the product, production and support costs, and user requirements such as interface modes and response times. By combining the technical and commercial elements with the end user’s needs, a complete feasibility study will be generated. At the end of the Phase I effort a final report will be delivered to the government representative(s) that documents the Phase I results and provides recommendations for follow-on research and development in Phase II.