SBIR Phase II: Natural Language Voice Controlled Science Equipment

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research SBIR Phase II project is the development of a natural language voice-controlled lab assistant technology to enable hands-on science learning by students that are blind or have low vision, as well as the general student population. The Lab Assistant application will use state-of-the-art voice recognition technology for educational science experiments. The Lab Assistant will integrate with sensor hardware and mobile apps to enable hands-on experiments in physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering. The impacts of the Lab Assistant are anticipated to include the development of software that can respond to a wide spectrum of natural language questions and the systems integration of many cutting-edge technologies (wireless sensors, mobile apps, voice recognition software, and assistive technology) into a simple user interface for science education. The voice interactions will help students overcome disabilities with traditional touch and visual technologies, work more independently due to the presence of auditory help, and gain confidence in their STEM abilities. For teachers, the Lab Assistant will provide an "expert in the room" to help guide the hands-on activities. The Lab Assistant will be especially useful to teachers without formal science training, that nevertheless need to lead hands-on STEM activities. This Small Business Innovation Research SBIR Phase II project will develop a natural language voice-controlled lab assistant technology that will enable students to control and interact with hands-on science lab equipment using natural language dialog. The research objective is to enable any student to conduct hands-on experiments and receive audible responses based on their own experimental measurements. Researchers will measure the change in student mastery of the Science and Engineering Practices required in the Next Generation Science Standards and the impact on student attitudes and confidence in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines. Researchers will also measure the teachers’ abilities to facilitate authentic science activities for students with disabilities and the general student population while using the lab assistant. The technology may enable students that are blind or low vision to be able to work more independently and gain higher level mastery of the Science and Engineering Practices. The general student population will also be able to use the lab assistant for increased engagement in science activities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.