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Top Ten "Most Wanted" AAC Features

This list is intended to give device manufacturers ideas for the next round of AAC innovation. It's also intended to expand the expectations of users, to encourage this innovation.

While it is true that the current generation of speech devices are the products of tremendous innovation, more can and should be done. We should not be content with the current "state of the art" when so much more is still possible.

Of course I'm just one user of AAC, and these ten ideas are just my ideas. Other users will, of course, have other ideas!

The List

Durable Devices

Often, obtaining funding is very difficult. Obtaining funding multiple times, after a device breaks, is even more difficult. Too often anytime a device is dropped and breaks, or even is thrown across the room and breaks, it is considered "abuse" and not covered by device warranties. A category of durable devices needs to be developed for use by people who are going to drop, throw, or otherwise "mistreat" their devices. Even careful users without motor control issues can accidentally drop a device - and many users have behavioral difficulties which cause them to sometimes abuse their devices. Both groups are entitled to good communication systems, even if their disability results in them being more "abusive" than desired to a device. In addition, a durable device shouldn't be a less capable device!

Reliable Devices

There is no excuse for a device to crash, emit squeals or whispers instead of the desired voice, needing to be "rebooted," etc. These are critical medical devices, and while slightly less critical than, say, an artificial heart, are very critical still to their users. They should be designed with engineering principles far exceeding that of commodity off-the-shelf technical devices and software packages. A device that needs to be rebooted or which emits noise instead of speech, even if this is infrequent and temporary, should always have a faulty hardware component, not a faulty software component!

Portable Devices

People who carry their devices, rather than mount them to wheelchairs or use them only in fixed locations, need three things to be standard in their devices, in addition to a small and lightweight device:

• Built-in Handle
• Shoulder Strap
• Keyboard "lockout", which prevents the keys from activating the device when it is placed in a soft-sided bag.

Longer Battery Life

While many devices can go a day without charging quite easily, few can go several days, or several weeks, without being charged. Sometimes it can become very inconvenient to find a nightly charging station, especially when on long trips, in foreign countries, or in the wilderness. Some of the new fuel cell technologies currently being developed for laptops may be very well suited for AAC devices.

Bluetooth Support

I want advanced Bluetooth support. Many cars made today support hands free cell phone usage, through Bluetooth. It would be nice if my device could emulate a cell phone well enough to use the car audio system in cars equipped this way - it might help people be heard over road noise. It would also be nice if this worked the other way around - if my device could interface to a cell phone via Bluetooth. Even better would be for it to be able to act like a cell phone to, for example, a car or a wireless cellphone headset while also communicating with a real cell phone. The device should also emulate a Bluetooth keyboard and, if appropriate, mouse, for easier computer interfacing - and it should accept an external Bluetooth keyboard where that is appropriate. The external keyboard in particular may help some users who are rough on equipment.

Wireless Networking

802.11b/g networking should be built into many communication devices. This would allow easier backup/recovery, without the need for wires. It could also enable ad-hoc networks to be built when two or more communication device users are within range of each other, allowing what one types to show up instantly on another's screen. Devices should also include the ability to utilize instant messaging, as many of us use this instead of telephone calls to talk to people who are close to us. The networking would also be helpful in downloading software updates automatically, like many desktop computers.

User-Upgradable Software

Often, bugs are found in AAC device software after the first devices are of a given model are shipped. Standard practice seems to be to make these "updates" available only by sending the unit back to the manufacturer. Bug fix upgrades, and, ideally, new features should be available for internet download directly to the device, by the end-user or their support staff.

"Skins"

Some users are very fashion conscious, and don't want to carry around an "ugly" or non-stylish device. However, fashions change quickly! A device should allow the option of "skins" which are user-replaceable trim components, such as the plastic around the screen or the key guard. These should be designed in several colors, and should also allow users to customize them easily with stickers, drawings, etc, without permanently changing the actual device. In addition, there should be both "standard" skins, such as simple color schemes, and "designer" skins, such as a skin that fits the theme of a popular TV program. These add-ons should allow the user's taste to change, with new add-ons introduced occasionally. Even users that are not terribly fashion conscious may prefer one color over another - who do you know that doesn't have an opinion on what color a car or house should be?

Inductive Charging

Many device users have trouble inserting plugs into their devices to charge them. Inductive charging, the technology used to charge electric toothbrushes without having any exposed contacts, may be a good solution. A user would simply set the device in a cradle, designed for use by people with poor motor control. This could also be done with contacts and a properly designed cradle, but contacts require ensuring that they remain clean and unobstructed, a difficult task for some. Along with the inductive charging, devices should be flexible enough to take a wide range of input voltages, whether directly into the device or via an inductive coupling. It would be useful to be able to directly interface a device with foreign power systems, wheelchair batteries, and automotive cigar lighters.

Clearer Speech

Even the newest speech synthesis engines are a long ways from being as intelligible and natural sounding as a natural voice. While much progress has been made, more needs to be made. This is particularly true for non-English voices and female voices.