An avatar is a graphical representation of an individual in two or three dimensional form. With technology progressing, avatars are becoming more and more realistic, and closer in similarity to their human counterparts.
Interspeech 2015 is a event that covers all aspects of speech science and technology spanning basic theories to application. The conference will feature oral and poster sessions and it will also include plenary talks by internationally renowned experts, tutorials, special sessions as well as show & tells sessions and exhibits.
In 2012, JISC TechDisc and CereProc collaborated to create two synthetic voices, Jack and Jess, to encourage the use of text-to-speech tools among students, staff and life-long learners throughout the eduction system in England. The aim of the two voices was to help enhance the learning process for users and they were made freely available to post-16 learners in education in England.
Last year a cast of CereProc's TTS voices had taken to the stage for Your Call Part 1 by Kevin Jones; "One women perpetually plugged into a digital world unravelling as she listens - the comically surreal world of Your Call - a music theatre work that uses technology to explore the rocky terrain of our relationship to that technology,an ever more intimate, indispensable, sometimes intrusive presence in our lives.
National Star College student, Lewis Fisher has had cerebral palsy from a very young age and is also unable to speak. Lewis has used assitive technology throughout his life: with an eye tracker aid he is able to use text to speech to communicate with others. However, Lewis was never particularly a big fan of the standard TTS voice provided on his device as it did not reflect his Newcastle roots.
News Medical is an online, open access medical information provider for healthcare professionals, medical researchers and those who are interested in the medical world. The online news journal's aim is to look at the latest developments in life sciences and medical care.
CBC Radio show Stripped hosted by Sarah Meehan Sirk."explores the body inside and out, with no restrictions. From the politics of beards to the value of the voice, Stripped takes you out of your head and into your body with a smart, surprising global take on what we do to our bodies and what that says about us".
CereProc's text to speech voices are often regarded as a practical teaching tool; CereProc's English TTS voices in particular have been acting as assistants for those who are teaching English as a foreign language.
The word robot was coined by Czech playwrite Karel Caprek, it derived from the Czech word robota which means forced labour. Robots have evolved so much over the years, they are regarded as useful assets.
Recently Skype set out to improve their accessibility for their users by adding new features such as adding text to speech. Now users are able to use CereProc's TTS voices during their Skype call.
To use CereProc's TTS voice just follow these instructions:
