16 year old brings in a boon for the differently abled: Exhale and express

Q. Tell us about TALK ? How does it work ?
TALK employs an innovative technology, requiring a person to be able to give two distinguishable exhales (by varying intensity/time) to be converted into electrical signals using special Microphone. The electrical signals are processed by a microprocessor converted to letters ~ words ~ sentences and sent to another microprocessor for synthesizing. TALK features two modes - one to communicate in English supporting 9 different voices (male/female) suiting to different age groups and other to give specific commands/phrases. In communication mode, with embedded feature of encoding facility, user can communicate frequently used phrases by just dictating a few words.
TALK has made two major breakthroughs by increasing speaking rate and becoming the world's most affordable AAC device. I got predicted results by testing the device with a person suffering from SEM and Parkinson's disease. TALK will mark the beginning of 'Whole New Life for Speech Impaired People'. In future I would like to add auto-predictions to my Computing-Engine and integrate TALK with modern technology like Google Glass to 'Make the World a Better Place to Live for People with Developmental-Disabilities and Speech Impairments'.
TALK IS MEANT FOR:
People with Developmental Disabilities - LIS, ALS, Parkinson's disease, Tetraplegia
People with Brain Stem Stroke Syndrome.
People who have gone through Tracheotomy Surgery.
People with Vocal Cord Paralysis.
People with Speech Impairments - Dysarthria etc.
People who cannot speak - Mutes etc.


Q. What inspired you to create a device that helps differently abled people communicate effectively ?
I am writing answer by third person perspective.
We've all spent an hour, even two, waiting for a consultation with a doctor. You may flip through a magazine, or agonise about what he/she will say, or even observe your fellow sufferers with a critical eye. But when Arsh Shah Dilbagi, a 16-year-old resident of Panipat, Haryana, found himself waiting in the reception room of his doctor's clinic, he used his time far more constructively.
"I noticed a patient crying profusely. He had suffered from a stroke, after which he had lost the ability to speak," says Arsh, who studies in Class 12 of the DAV Public School. The experience moved him, made him think about just how lack of communication renders a person helpless. He was shocked when he came across statistics reporting that being speech impaired lowered life expectancy by 20 years on an average. "I think as long as a person is breathing, he/she should be able to enjoy life," he says, of what he felt at the time.

So Arsh Shah Dilbagi got to work on "Talk", an alternative communication device for patients suffering from speech impairments due to conditions like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Arsh's "Talk" converts breath into speech, and his invention was among the 15 finalists selected for the prestigious Google Science Fair Awards this September. Arsh was the only finalist from the Asia region this year.
Besides this Arsh has won Grand Prize and Gold Medal in IRIS National Fair and India Innovation Initiative


Q. How many different fields of study did you combine to come up with something like this ?
Electrical, Electronics, Computer Science, Mechanical and bit Medical. I have done algorithm designing, coding, soldering, designing of enclosures etc. all by myself

Q. What has your life been like prior to Google Science Fair ?
Life has been cool and it is more like the same after the fair except getting invitation likeTEDxGateway, Mumbai, Birla Awards Function and from some other prestigious institutions like IIM Kashipur, BITS, Goa etc and flooded friend request from across the globe. Currently I am pursuing 12th standard and my unit test are underway the preparation of which takes away the most of my time.

Q. What do you spend your free time on ?
I keep on 'Making & Tinkering' on whatever things I can lay my hands on. I am Full- stack developer i.e. web designing, logo making, programming, coding etc. besides this I am into swimming but get almost no time for it. I also enjoy shooting people & places – I mean photography. I do blogging also.

Q. What can we hope to see from you after TALK ?
I am working on modifications and betterment in TALK. In future, by using TAK one may be able to browse internet, send/receive e-mails and log on to social media sites.