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Stuttering is a speech disorder affecting approximately 1% of the world’s population, characterized by interruptions, repetition and prolongation of sounds, syllables or words during speech. As Gonçalo Leal,
Stuttering is a speech disorder affecting approximately 1% of the world’s population, characterized by interruptions, repetition and prolongation of sounds, syllables or words during speech. As Gonçalo Leal, clinical director of the SpeechCare Center & Stuttering Center, explained to us, “it is a neurodevelopmental disorder, so the brain processes speech in a different way” and can be addressed in different ways.
A widely used and proven speech therapy technique to reduce speech difficulties caused by stuttering is rhythm therapy, and now Samsung, together with Cheil, has developed an app for smartwatches that uses artificial intelligence and vibrations to help users improve your speech. Its name is Impulse and its history is as follows.
Stuttering. How can monitoring vibrations help a person who stutters speak better? As Leal explained to us, one of the difficulties some people who stutter have is “a problem with the timing of sounds by their brain.” According to Leal, “vibrations may in a certain way help synchronize this process and speech in the brain.”
Let’s say a clock’s vibrations are a wand that sets the rhythm, “they give the brain clues about the duration of the syllable, its pronunciation… We all have an internal clock for all the different movements.” [involucrados en la capacidad] Talking about this is completely unconscious. We know that brain management, which works differently in many people who stutter, is linked to this.” In Gonçalo’s words:
“Many people think that stuttering has a psychological cause. Today, science shows us that this is not the case. In studies, we see that there are differences in the brain development of children who stutter. We see some changes in brain development in important parts related to speech. This means that the brain works differently and, above all, it affects synchronization with speech .
The person knows very well what he wants to say, but no words come out, which naturally becomes extremely frustrating and over time, negative experiences are encountered, because unfortunately, we have a society that does not understand very well what stuttering is. It can cause people a lot of irritability, a lot of anxiety, and in some cases depression. However, this is not the cause of stuttering, but a consequence of stuttering.”
A practical case. Spanish is one of the fastest languages in the world, with a speed of 7.82 syllables per second. The fastest is Japanese with 7.84 syllables. Our Portuguese neighbors speak at four or five syllables per second. When we slow down speech, production becomes easier for many people who stutter. What exactly does Impulse do?
The watch shows the duration of the syllable by vibrations on the wrist. If we speak with seven syllables per second, the clock will vibrate seven times per second to indicate the rhythm of the speech. Not only that, but it will also vibrate at different intensities, telling us how strong or weak a syllable is. Moreover, in a moment of spontaneous speech (a casual conversation), the vibrations “can facilitate the exit from the moment of stuttering,” recalls Gonçalo Leal, “to be used in the most effective way possible, to improve it.” “Ideally, it is accompanied by a speech therapist.”
A facilitator. That’s what Impulse is; a facilitator, a tool to turn to in times of stuttering. As Gonçalo explained to us, during testing “they found that when they predicted a slightly more difficult or challenging word was coming, people relied on Impulse to do it.” [la pronunciación] Easier”. The impulse serves to establish mental associations, to create a kind of memory effect. According to Leal.
“For speaking, our brain works like an algorithm to collect different cues to program everything. Speaking is one of the most complex motor movements made by human beings. It involves many muscles, many functions, all at the same time and super fast. Impulse’s “What it can do is draw a trace, but it’s external, so it’s super objective about time. And that can be very helpful to people.”
How does Impulse work?. This new Samsung app is based on integrated artificial intelligence, in this case in the form of natural language processing. What this AI does is breaks down text into symbols, so the AI associates a word or syllable with a vibration; and intonation by intensity of vibration. In simpler terms, it is an integrated metronome that synchronizes with the user’s speech.
The app also offers more than 250 rhythm and tone exercises that increase in difficulty as the user advances in speech control. There are currently four exercise levels and they are as follows:
Compatible watches. At this launch stage, Impulse is only compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Watch6. However, Impulse, a smartwatch with Wear OS, is expected to reach other smartwatches as well. In any case, it’s exclusive to the latest Korean smartwatch for now. Now available to download from Google Play Store.
Possible applications of artificial intelligence in health. Although what concerns us in this case is stuttering, according to Gonçalo Leal, artificial intelligence has the ability to “individualize care” so that it can “collect data about people’s daily lives” so that professionals can have personalized data and provide better guidance. . This also has the potential to improve “equity in access to health,” according to Lear.
Pictures | Courtesy of Samsung and Pexels
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Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
