Israeli company Voiceitt is releasing an app to make smart home voice interactions easier for those with speech disorders.
The Voiceitt app uses machine learning to adapt to each user, continually improving understanding and intention via a neural network trained on non-standard speech.
Bringing voice Assistants to Everyone
Voiceitt integrates directly with Alexa but also can connect to other smart home assistants.
The app aims to help people with various forms of speech disorders, as Sarah Smolley, vice president of strategy and co-founder of Voiceitt, told Digital Trends:
It can help users who have cerebral palsy, ALS, Down’s syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson’s, stroke, multiple sclerosis, autism, or any other type of non-standard speech.
Voiceitt is currently available to preorder on iOS from the App Store, and will release in early 2021. An Android version will be following later in 2021. The service will cost $199 for a yearly subscription, with a 30 day free trial period.
Smart Homes Should be for Everyone
Accessibility has always been central to the theory behind smart home advancement. Long before home assistants existed, the implications for greater levels of support and independence across the care community were excitedly talked about.
In reality, smart home tech hasn't yet become the accessibility dream many hoped for. Some native features are appearing, like the ability to text Alexa voice commands rather than rely on speech. Still, if ease of access is important to major smart home manufacturers, they are not making it obvious.
Luckily, Voiceitt is far from the only accessibility focused company working on bringing smart home interactions to those who struggle with them. Hopefully, in time these features will become normalized across the entire smart home ecosystem.
