Hands Free Computer Operation for Quadriplegics? 46
Anonymous Coward asks: "Dragon Natural Speaking dropped hands free computer operation support back in version 3. My quadriplegic friend recently upgraded his computer and it came with Windows XP. His old Dragon Natural Speaking will not work on Windows XP. Does anyone know of any complete voice activated computer control for Windows XP or Linux?"
Nope (Score:2)
Re:Nope (Score:3, Informative)
However, it is pretty easy to extend by writing AppleScript that gets executed by voice command. I don't know that one could build a truly complete voice-controlled UI with what OS X includes, though. You'd at least need to add something like ViaVoice for speech-to-text, since Apple's speech recognition doesn't do that itself. In any event, building the AppleScripts to accomplish ev
Microsoft Speech SDK... (Score:3, Interesting)
Since it's free, you'll lose nothing except some hard drive space and download time (68MB) to try it out. It's been a year since I've last played with it, so YMMV.
It probably doesn't plug into the accessability utility included in XP (press windows + U), but I imagine that there are some out there which do.
Good luck!
-Adam
Re:Microsoft Speech SDK... (Score:2)
Hint: turn off speech recognition if you make the computer say something, you can get a very odd type of feedback loop. You also need a good microphone if you want to talk to
Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm asking simply from a curoisity point of view, not from a cynical "why bother?" PoV. Hope I don't come across that way. It seems to me that a person in that kind of situation could create a new life for themselves on the net. Just curious if this person has managed this. If so, I'd really like to know more about it. (note: these questions are open to anybody who has a paralyzed friend getting using a computer...)
Sorry for being off-topic. I just get really curious when it comes to using technology to help people.
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:1, Troll)
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:1, Troll)
I'll take that bet seeing as how Quadriplegics aren't generally known for being terribly sexually active.
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:1, Offtopic)
Neither am I, doesn't keep me away from my porn.
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:2, Redundant)
Though your point is quite valid, I don't understand why you are saying "quite the contrary" to me. What did I say that triggered that?
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:1)
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:2)
Though I have to wonder, why was I modded down for asking for clarification? Today just isn't my day.
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:4, Interesting)
Bottom line, he was trying to use his pc but had difficulties typing with the trembling and all. With other friends we donated him a big monitor and I installed a monitor keyboard so that he can type with using the mouse). He can communicate with friends via the net, expressing arguments and sentences that would take hours for us to understand given the state of his speech. I know he also plays chess. I don't think he is going to create "a new life" on the net, as you put it, for the simple reason that he is not fast enough for IRC and i am not even sure that he is fast enough to post regularly in message forums/email (I think he gets tired after a while). However, it's better than nothing.
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:2, Interesting)
He went on to get an MBA from from our provincial university while serving as the Student Union's President for two terms.
He was elected President of our Provincial opposition party and now is a nominated candidate for our federal opposition party and will run for Member of Parliament in
Re:Sorta off-topic, but I'd reaally like to know (Score:1)
A lot of people with disabilities are liberated by the services on the net. Email liberates them via an alternate method for correspondence where they would normally have to send snail mail (go out, buy stamps and stationary and post it), a lot of disabled people do their grocery shopping online, their banking, bill paying, etc.
At web accessibility conferences I find so many people with disabilities feel so incredibly liberated by computer technology. Most are just so thankful for it.
They could compl
Some ideas (Score:3, Interesting)
Perhaps some of the mailing lists (such as ViaVoice User's ML [yahoo.com]) would provide more definite answers.
No souch tools are available in mainstream Linux distros, to may knowledge.
Re:Some ideas (Score:2)
Re:Some ideas (Score:2, Interesting)
It does look strange IBM's VivaVoice is listed as supporting Linux, but it never says so on the web page. I thought it was worth some attention since hiding GNU/Linux support in a dark corner is not so general these days as it used to be.
But since most solutions for disabled tend to be d
Obvious perhaps (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I have a question (Score:1)
Grow the fuck up.
Re:I have a question (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I have a question (Score:1)
L&H VoiceXpress (Score:3, Interesting)
I got Dragon, but refuse to use it because it tells you it requires Internet Explorer to work (it doesn't; it just requires a DLL). If IE isn't your primary browser, it installs IE from its own installation CD, even if you have a later version.
How about...Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Score:5, Informative)
Might I make the suggestion of getting Preferred over Standard. While it's double the cost, it really does seem to do a better job than Standard. Not sure what the difference is (smaller vocab maybe?), but it's there.
A long time ago... (Score:3, Interesting)
Fast forward a little...Naturally Speaking got sold to a company called Scansoft when Dragon went under (I forget why). Scansoft, within the last year bought ViaVoice from IBM, which had dropped sales and further development of their Linux version of the software, which is now nowhere to be found.
Ultimately, Scansoft pretty much controls the market in terms of Voice Dictation.
However, there are some interesting things still going on. For instance, Intel has been working on the Audio/Visual Speech Control/Recognition engine [intel.com], which is part of Intel's OpenCV (face recognition stuff). [intel.com]
Ultimately, try out this link [leb.net]. There's quite a bit of information there.
Re:A long time ago... (Score:1)
Dragon has actually been around as a product since the late 80s / early 90s? Roughly 10 years, in any case.
Lernout & Hauspie bought out Dragon and axed most of the staff. One of my current coworkers left Dragon shortly prior to that event, and one of my friends joined L&H shortly after. In any event, there was a huge accounting scandal with L&H, and they went bankrupt. ScanSoft acquired the L&H assets (as well as many emplo
Not voice but... (Score:4, Informative)
Have a look at the Dasher Project [cam.ac.uk]. Its not voice input, but they have several input methods which can be used by para- and quadra-plegics (eye tracker, head mouse, breath mouse, toungue mouse, etc) - you pretty much can use any movement you can make. It can be faster and more accurate than most voice recognition systems, and they have it working for controlling the UI as well as textual input now.
MattWelcome! (Score:2, Funny)
article about the design of VUIs vs GUIs (Score:1, Informative)
Head/Eye Tracking (Score:2)
As a recent UVA grad I heard a lot about the ERICA [virginia.edu] project while I was there. It's an eye tracking system that's pretty neat, though I think it's basically just being used for research at this time and I don't know of a way to actually purchase it.
I believe there are some commercial eye tracking systems out there, but head tracking is simpler, and t
Re:Head/Eye Tracking (Score:1)
OOSRI group (Score:1, Informative)
http://harvee.org/mailman/listinfo/ossri
Dustin Wish