I have a little info to share with
regard
to Audeo Beta testing. I had hoped to wait until I could actually get
my
hands on the system but in the meantime, here’s what I
know…
The caregiver of one of our nearly
locked-in
ALS patients recently contacted me about the system then set up a trial
with
Ambient. As they live about 3 hours from our center, my involvement
thus
far has been only via email and phone. Last week I listened in on a
trial
facilitated by their home health PT and Kimberly Beals. From what
they
are saying, as long as the user has some “intent to speak”, the
sensors (which are supposedly far more sensitive than the Impulse sensors)
can
pick up motor unit action potential (MUAP) in the laryngeal area. It
is still
very difficult for me to grasp but the patient who has the unit has
apparently
had some success. On command, he tries to talk or thinks about trying to talk and
the
sensors are able to detect enough MUAP to reach a threshold set within the
software and interface with a PC to select a word, phrase or letter.
At
this point they’re only working on consistent yes/no selection but
the PT
thinks it has a lot of potential for this patient and others. If the
trial continues to go well, I hope to see it live in the near future.
Time will
tell…
Amy
Wright
Speech-Language
Pathologist
(704)
355-0867
From:
xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Alisa Brownlee
Sent: Wednesday, April 08,
2009
11:46 AM
To: AT National Listserv
Subject: [Assistive
Technology]
audeo alert
Alert for those subscribing to this listerv, my phone is already
starting to ring about this article that appeared in the MDA magazine this
week.
Speech Device Available for Free
Trial
It reads muscle impulses to produce
speech
|
|
by Alyssa Quintero
After rigorous testing and feedback from people with
ALS, the Ambient Corp. has
released
the beta version of its Audeo speech system (pictured), which reads brain
signals sent to the vocal cords and uses them to help produce
speech.
|
|
Designed for people with ALS, the Audeo Beta Package
(www.theaudeo.com)
relays
electrical impulses from the brain to a small laptop that converts the
signals
to speech. The system doesn’t read minds or give voice to random
thoughts, but picks up muscle impulses created by conscious efforts to
speak.
(“Beta” refers to the fact that the product is still in
development.)
Potential buyers must submit an application before a device can be
shipped. Then, users can test it for two weeks before purchasing or
returning
it (no rental fee or deposit is required). Even if people return the
device,
Ambient relies on their feedback to improve the Audeo system and
software.
The Audeo package ($5,000) includes the sensor and neckband,
portable
laptop with preloaded software and video tutorial. Users receive free
hardware
and software upgrades as they become
available.
“It’s the most natural way that you would talk to
somebody,” says Kimberly Beals, communications director for the
Ambient
Corp., which is based in
To receive an in-depth Audeo guide and application, contact Beals
at
(217) 408-4085 or by e-mail at xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.
Alisa Brownlee,
ATP
Clinical
Manager, Assistive Technology Services
ALS
(Lou Gehrig's Disease) Association, Greater
Assistive
Technology
Consultant, ALS Association, National
Office
Direct Phone Number:
215-631-1877
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