- Kyle Chua
Google Launches Project Relate App in Singapore To Help People With Atypical Speech Communicate With Others
Google is tapping artificial intelligence (AI) technology to promote inclusive communication in Singapore.
The search engine giant on Wednesday, 2 October launched Project Relate, a new app that helps those with diverse speech patterns communicate and connect with others more easily.
Project Relate first requires users record up to 500 commonly used phrases across diverse topics, which it uses to create a personalised speech recognition model. That model can then be trained to understand users’ speech patterns and give them access to its most useful features, such as “Listen”, “Repeat”, and “Voice Typing”.
The “Listen” feature can transcribe a person’s speech to text in real-time, allowing users to copy-paste what was said to them into other apps, or let other people read what was said to them.
Meanwhile, the “Repeat” feature can restate what users have said using a clear and synthesised voice. This feature is particularly helpful in face-to-face conversations or when users want to give a command to their home assistant device.
Lastly, the “Voice Typing” feature allows users to dictate with their voice what they want to type in apps like Google Docs, Gmail and Google Translate, among others.
Apart from pre-set phrases, users can also record and create Custom Cards unique to their personal vocabulary like names of loved ones, local street names, or frequently visited places. For example, Custom Cards can include, “I need to go to Henderson Road” or “How do I get to the MRT?”.
“By creating personalised speech models, we can empower persons with non-standard speech to communicate with ease and clarity,” said Ben King, Managing Director of Google Singapore. “We are encouraged that Project Relate aligns with Singapore’s refreshed Smart Nation 2.0 vision and we're committed to ensuring AI is universally accessible and beneficial to everyone."
Project Relate can be downloaded on Android devices via the Google Play Store.
Google said the app is part of its ongoing efforts to make technology more accessible to people with disabilities. Its previous efforts include Live Transcribe, a tool that provides real-time speech-to-text transcriptions for people who are hard of hearing, and Lookout, an app that helps people who are visually impaired identify food labels and pinpoint objects.
The company also partnered with MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) to introduce Project Relate to its beneficiaries. It plans to work with more organisations across Singapore to conduct similar training sessions on the app.
Google Singapore has launched Project Relate, a new app that helps those with diverse speech patterns communicate and connect with others more easily.
The app requires users record up to 500 commonly used phrases across diverse topics, which it uses to create a personalised speech recognition model.
That model can then be trained to understand users’ speech patterns and give them access to its most useful features, such as “Listen”, “Repeat”, and “Voice Typing”.