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Lowest possible cost text- to-speech unit for the disabled, possibly in developing countries. Stand-alone (i.e. not PC based)
Input device:
Unmodified Wii Nunchuck.
In this example I am using the thumb joystick to navigate the text menu but could also be done by tilting the 'chuck and using the accelerometers (position sensors) inside.
Letters are selected by pressing one of the two buttons on the front of the Nunchuck.
Display:
Connects to any normal TV (PAL or NTSC) via standard yellow "video in" plug.
Computer:
Arduino board - turn on the power (battery) and you are ready to go.
Software:
Based on the MIT "TV-out" system which cleverly lets an Arduino "trick" a TV into displaying a basic picture without using any sort of graphics or video card.
I have modified this software to produce a simple alphabet from which you can select letters and make words with the nunchuck. This has to be done within the limitations of the Arduino as the TVout software uses a lot of the RAM to generate the picture.
Speech conversion:
The selected words are then sent to a serial "text to speech" module connected to a small loudspeaker. This gives the spoken text.
Cost:
Total cost < $100.
Other input options:
- If a wireless nunchuck is used, the user can move with no connecting wires so long as TV is in the room somewhere nearby.
- Currently uses 2 Arduino boards (one decodes the Nunchuck data). If a simple keypad or set of switches were used instead, a single Arduino would be enough to do everything. I am a big fan of the Nunchuck as an input device though.
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Signing UpStep 1Create a connection between Wii Nunchuck and Arduino
You need to make a socket that you can plug your Nunchuck into. The easiest way is to buy a very cheap "nunchuck extender" cable similar to the one illustrated.
Cut off the socket end with a small length of cable attached and you will find several wires inside.
Only 4 of these wires will be required - one for each of the OUTER four connnections of the total of six within the socket. See next page.
The project does assume some knowledge of Arduino microcontroller system and how you load programs from your PC on to the Arduino boards. If not:
There is a great set of tutorials here:
http://todbot.com/blog/bionicarduino/
Another great set of tutorials.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Expermentation-Kit-How-to-get-Started-wi/
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If I were up to the challange I would control my Android phone with the Wii remote (or even a device that can scan eye movements) and use the built in text to speech capability to have it on the go. Is anyone aware of pulling something like this off?
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9281
http://www.solarbotics.com/products/31040
-small screen on a wrist strap as opposed to big TV.
- speakers mounted on the user, instead of a small loudspeaker by the TV.
-perhaps a less expensive control device than a Nunchuk, because you only need a joystick.
1) Speaker is currently with the user. When I get time I will use 2 of the really tiny "Nano" Arduino's you can get + Battery + speech unit + speaker all in a little black box with chuck socket hanging out.
2) It would be great to get rid of the TV and use a monocular head mounted display (you can still see what you are doing at the same time). You can buy these but they are serious money - the military use them to beam information to soldiers.
However, I did make one as an Instructable some time ago here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Glasses-mounted-video-display-to-one-eye-turn-yo/
This would make you completely self contained with respect to text-speech and you would not need any sort of flat screen in front of you.
3) I agree a simple joystick would mean you could do all this with just the one arduino.
4) Predictive texting is beyond my coding ability and not sure if Arduino could handle it. If I add anything to the current code the screen display stops working so I suspect I am already nearing limits. TVout uses a lot of the Arduino. A menu of common words might be a lot more do-able. I will look into that.
5) This originally developed from a PC based version I made, again using a nunchuck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mee7QArmaWE
6) Re: wrist mounted display:
Easiest way would be to make a similar system around a Serial-LCD liquid crystal display. These are available with up to 4 lines of 20 characters. This would avoid using TVout and free up memory for word menus and so on.
You might be able to display alphabet on upper 2 lines and the written text on the lower two. If anyone thinks this would be of practical value I would be happy to do an Instructable.
True but I am thinking of someone more like Stephen Hawking with pretty minimal movement of one hand. With the Nunchuck, with slight code modification, you can use movement to operate it if you cannot work the thumb joystick so it gives you a number of potential input options all at a very low cost.
Below that level of function you are then looking at eye tracking or something along those lines.
For people who have enough function to "text" on a smartphone I have seen something somewhere on the web where a disabled person used an Android phone with software to convert the text to speech - with a toy megaphone plugged into the jack intended for the earpiece of the phone.