Talking communication device for people with speech difficulties

The problem

A person with cerebral palsy or after a stroke understands everything around them but can't speak, relying on gestures only their closest people understand. Alternative communication devices are expensive and imported, and all work in English or Modern Standard Arabic, speaking sentences that don't sound like their surroundings. As a result, families buy the device and it's abandoned within a month.

How it works

1. SelectionThe user selects with a touch or a single button through sequential scanning of the options.
2. Building the phraseSelections are combined into a complete phrase that can be edited before it's spoken.
3. PronunciationThe phrase is spoken in a clear voice and shown as text to the other person.
4. CustomizationA caregiver adds phrases and pictures specific to the user from the settings panel.
5. LearningThe order of phrases adapts to actual use.
6. LoggingA local log helps the therapist follow how communication develops over time.

Project features

• It speaks in the Jordanian dialect — the difference between a talking device and a voice that sounds like the user's world.
• Phrases are tailored to the user's home, family, medicines, and daily activities, instead of a generic list.
• Three input methods depending on the user's ability: touch, a single button with sequential scanning, or a signal from a sensor.
• The most-used phrases appear first, so fewer presses are needed over time.
• It works offline, so speech is instant and the user's data never leaves the device.

Expected challenges

These are the main obstacles to expect during the build, laid out clearly so you know them before you start.

• ⚠ The device is an assistive tool used under the supervision of a communication specialist, not a substitute for therapy or the specialist's assessment.
• Users' abilities differ radically: some touch precisely and some have only one movement, so the input method must be switchable.
• Scanning speed is a sensitive factor: too fast misses the selection, too slow frustrates the user.
• Dialect speech quality is the decisive factor, and building the voices is harder than building the device.
• The device accompanies the user all day, so weight, battery, and durability decide how much it's actually used.

The consultation gives you a solution for each one.