Shwas: A Smartphone based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) System which Converts Breath into Speech

Abstract

To make Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices accessible to everyone, I present Shwas. AAC device is used by people suffering from developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, autism, ALS, etc. The life expectancy of such people is expected at 20 years below average, mainly due to absent or inadequate communication. The AAC devices which are available now are expensive and heavy. This paper presents a novel technique of communication using the smartphone. Shwas is a smartphone application which converts the breath of the user into speech. The application uses breath input in the form of Morse code and converts it into audible speech or visible text which can then be used for communication.