Telephone turns speech into text in real-time

The Amplified Captioned Telephone by Clarity aims to help those with hearing difficulties better understand what is being said over the phone.

Japanese firm NTT DOCOMO’s Hanashite Hon’yaku app has already harnessed speech-to-text software to translate calls between people speaking different languages. Aimed at seniors, the Amplified Captioned Telephone by Clarity uses similar technology to help those with hearing difficulties better understand what is being said over the phone. As well as featuring an amplifier that can increase the volume of the caller to 50 decibels without a loss of clarity, the system includes a seven-inch touchscreen with large buttons for dialling. When a call is active, the screen switches to display a text transcription of the conversation so older users can keep up. A log of each conversation is made for reference later on. Both those hard of hearing and with vision problems can make use of the device, which retails for USD 229. The Amplified Captioned Telephone ensures that phone users remain aware of everything that is said during a call without feeling embarrassed about having to get people to repeat what they’ve said or let it go over their heads. Currently available to customers in the US only, could this idea be useful in your part of the world? Spotted by: Murtaza Patel