Smart speaker device designed by deaf student
The speaker system has a microphone, camera and screen to give visual confirmation of instructions
- Published
A student has designed a smart speaker primarily for use by people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Nottingham Trent University's Sam Russell, who has been deaf since birth, said it was "astounding" that existing technology could not be "used properly by a huge proportion of the population".
His design, called Janus, features a screen that gives a written transcript of the request and answer, alongside an AI-assisted camera system, which recognises sign language.
Mr Russell said the visual feedback also helped all users, especially those with regional accents, which standard speakers sometimes struggled with.
Sam Russell said one of the main flaws of smart assistant devices was "limited" speech recognition technology
Mr Russell has just completed his studies in BSc product design.
He said: "It is astounding that a product that is used by millions across the world cannot be used properly by a huge proportion of the population.
"One of the main flaws of smart assistant devices is that the speech recognition technology is so limited.
"Research has shown that accuracy rates drop significantly for ethnic minorities and people with non-standard accents. They struggle to make themselves understood.
"Not only that, for people in the deaf and hard of hearing communities, they are unaware if their request has been heard properly, as traditional smart speakers don't tend to give a visual representation of the request.
"They have no idea, for example, if the speaker did indeed set a timer for 10 minutes, because the technology is not there to provide a visual confirmation."
His design has been selected to be shown next month at New Designers 2024, a London-based showcase of UK emerging design talent.
Richard Malcolm, senior lecturer in product design at NTU, said: "Sam has designed a product based on his own lived experience as a deaf person.
"However, it has also highlighted potential limitations of a product that is used by millions of people, bringing the importance of essential accessibility features to the forefront."
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