Credits – Speech2RTT® Beta

Thank you to the LiveWell RERC for funding the development of Speech2RTT!

Speech2RTT® Communicator (2015-2017):

Thank you to the The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Information and Communications Technology Access (LiveWell RERC) for funding, in part, the development of Speech2RTT® Communicator under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RE5023). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Were it not for them, Speech2RTT® Communicator would have never become a reality! The contents of this announcement do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement of the products mentioned, by the Federal Government.

Thank you to the organizations who financed the development of the following Speech2RTT predecessor deaf/hard-of-hearing applications and services:

1. uCaption® (2016-2017):

uCaption is a fully accessible captioning system developed for Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. by IDEAL Group, Inc. Note: The architecture of Trace R&D’s Closed Caption Correction (CCC) prototype (see IDEAL Captions, below) system was the functional foundation upon which IDEAL Group developed uCaption, using Google technologies.

2. IDEAL VoiceBase Captioning Infrastructure (IVBCI) (2016-2017)

IVBCI provides users the ability to upload audio recordings and uncaptioned /poorly captioned videos for automatic captioning. The system is capable of transcribing speech in any of the following languages/dialects: Dutch, English (Australian), English (Indian) , English (South East Asian), English (UK), English (US), French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Spanish (Latin American). The following formats are accepted: 3gp, aac, aiff, amr, asf, au, avi, caf, cf, flac, flv, m4a, m4v, mov, mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpg, ogg, ra, wav, webm, wma, and wmv. Audio recordings/videos are automatically captioned using neural networks and a highly sophisticated base of human speech recognition algorithms. The captions are then returned to the user in a time-coded editor that enables them (or someone else) to easily edit the captions without throwing off the timing of the captions;

After editing, people accessing the transcribed audio tracks/videos can:

View the video in sync with the captions;
Hear the video;
See the full transcript;
Conduct a word-search on the video (captions) and then play the video forward from the first, and every subsequent, utterance of the keyword(s) used;
Click on any word in the transcript to begin playing the video from that point forward;

In addition,

Words in the transcript are highlighted as they are being spoken in the video, in addition to displaying the captions;
Keywords used in the video are automatically identified, extracted from the transcript, and listed on the video viewing page;
Topics discussed in the video are automatically identified and posted on the video page.
Clicking on any “keyword” results in the system placing little triangles at the point(s) where that keyword was spoken in the video. Users can then click on any triangle and play the video forward from that point.

Thank you to the following organizations for supporting the development of IVBCI:

3. IDEAL Captions® (2013-2016):

Trace first implemented real-time caption correction in the 1990’s as part of its work in the National Computational Science Alliance, funded by NSF, and demonstrated it at Supercomputing 1999. In 2011, the Trace Center, in collaboration with IDEAL Group, developed a “proof-of-concept” version of the Closed Caption Correction (CCC) system using standard personal computersunder funding from the (NIDILRR). In October, 2013, it was unveiled at the joint TDI (Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf, Inc.)/ALDA (Association of Late-Deafened Adults, Inc.) conference in Albuquerque NM. Over the next several years, the development team at Trace further refined CCC while IDEAL Group continued to use and test it (IDEAL Captions). The CCC system was subsequently transferred to the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) DeveloperSpace where the systems are available under Apache V2.0 open-source licenses.

4. IDEAL 10-Band High Definition Voice Equalizer with Bone Conduction Technology (2013):

IDEAL’s Equalizer paired with bone conduction technology was used to accommodate individuals with conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is due to problems with the ear canal, ear drum, or middle ear and its tiny bones.

5. IDEAL Subtube (2010):

IDEAL Subtube offered users the ability to display one of multiple caption/subtitle tracks depending upon the language preference of the viewer.

6. First Interactive Video Relay Technology (1993-1994):

In early 1994, Project Freedom’s / IDEAL’s work was commemorated in a video. The video captured the first two-way “voice telephone” ASL conversation. The conversation took place between students and teachers from the Horace Mann Montessori School in Dayton, Ohio. The video also showcased historical footage of Alexander Graham Bell. Although a competitor, Sprint used Project Freedom’s Vistium Video System hardware and infrastructure to conduct the first VRS pilot test in Texas. Here are a few marketing pieces from that time:

A Very Special Thanks to Our Private Investors:

1. Taivara

Born out of the VC and startup worlds, Taivara’s entrepreneurs, strategists and technologists help its partners think bigger and accomplish more, faster. Taivara leverages its experience applying design thinking, lean startup and agile processes to build customer-validated businesses with milestone-driven investment. Founded in 2011, Taivara has provided innovation services for numerous startup and corporate clients including Acceptd, Alliance Data Systems, Battelle, Cardinal Health, Sprout it – sponsored by Scotts Miracle Gro, TicketFire and more. For more information, visit: http://taivara.com

2. Omnitor

Omnitor, based in Stockholm, Sweden, is devoted to the development and provision of accessible products and services for real-time communication. Accessible conversational services and accessible emergency service access are Omnitor major focus. Omnitor promotes and supports the ongoing development and deployment of Total Conversation and Real-Time Text concepts, providing accessible communications in formats designed to accommodate everyone, including persons who are deaf and hearing impaired. Omnitor was founded by Gunnar Hellström in 1995. A majotity of Omnitor engineers are deaf and hard-of-hearing communication experts. Omnitor’s products include the Ctouch product line of Total Conversation terminals. For more information, visit: http://www.omnitor.se/

3. RAZ Mobility

As mobile technology advances, its potential to positively impact people with disabilities is magnified, and the importance of identifying the best mobile solutions increases in importance. RAZ Mobility searches all over the world for unique and transformative technology, and makes this technology available to state and federal government agencies, senior and assisted living providers, schools, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies, and consumers.

In addition to being in the assistive technology business, RAZ Mobility is in the service business. We are committed to providing whatever add-on services and customization our customers require to effectively help people with disabilities. For more information, visit: https://www.razmobility.com/

4. The Jacobs Family Trust

The Jacobs Family Trust was established by Steve Jacobs, in honor of his parents Sigmund and Edith Jacobs who dedicated their lives to helping others, especially people with disabilities.

The Jacobs Family Trust