SBIR Phase I: (IT-B5) Feasibility to Run Novel Voice Interface on a Low-Power Microcontroller

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project focuses on the porting a proprietary voice interface to a low-power wearable platform. A major challenge of this development is the elimination of hardware support for floating point calculations that are not typically included on low-power embedded platforms. This proposal addresses mobility characteristics by focusing the critical issues such as investigation of feasible methods for reducing the complexity of algorithms, and the lack of hardware support for floating point arithmetic on a low-power device as used in embedded applications. This project addresses the development of a novel information management system for the visually impaired. It also has the potential to revolutionize the information management needs for sighted people as well, and address niche applications such as prosthetic devices for 'forgetfulness'. Most importantly, this technology has many useful applications such as assisting people with other types of disabilities besides visual impairment.