 |
 |
| The Katalavox speech-recognition control system can be used by quadriplegics to
control their power wheelchair.
|
 |
A throat microphone picks up the vibrations of the vocal cords when the
user speaks the commands. In some cases a headset microphone can also be used. |
The first voice activated power wheelchair was used by a young Norwegian law-student in 1984. It enabled him to attend his classes without the help of an attendant. |
 |
Mr. Robert Kotz has used his voice-activated wheelchair from 1986 to the end of 1992 when he passed away. He drove over 4,000 Km with it. It really changed his life, giving him some independence. A throat microphone was used to pick up his commands. To move forward, for example, he said "vor", because he spoke German. |
| The speech-recognition system adapts to any language. Even if someone has difficulty
pronouncing words, the wheelchair will adapt to recognize distinct sounds. The wheelchair
can be driven with only 5 sounds. The commands are combined to emulate the movements of a
joystick. |
 |
The Katalavox speech-recognition system can be used by quadriplegics to control their environment. It enables them to turn on/off lights and appliances in their house, control the TV and any infra-red remote controlled device by voice command, including answering the phone and dialing phone numbers. |
| The environmental control system can also be included in the control of a
voice-activated power wheelchair. |
| For more information, please: | |
