As I was searching for a communications technology that will
affect the way technology is used in professional communication I found one in
an unusual source. I was watching The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon where
they did a segment on inventions that children around the country had made. One
of these inventions was made by a 17 year old boy named Daniil and he titled it
“Live Time Closed Captioning system.” This is a system that is designed to help
people who are hearing impaired. The device is attached to a person’s glasses
to help the hearing impaired participate in ongoing conversations. A
microphone, which could easily be worn on the person’s clothing, records the
audio of the conversation and runs that audio through word recognition software
to display the words as subtitles that can be read.
This is the YouTube video entitled "GE Fallonventions: Live Time Closed Captioning System" where I first saw this technology presented.
This invention and technology was designed specifically to
help those with hearing impediments but I believe that there are more
applications for such a technology. One of which is to serve as a translator. I
think that this would be slightly more difficult to program because of the wide
variety of languages worldwide. The idea though, is similar. The microphone
would recognize the words being spoken and once they had been recognized they
would be fed through a translation software and displayed in the desired language
as subtitles on the glasses. This could have large effects on the professional
community because there is an ever increasing amount of business being
conducted internationally and this technology would allow the facilitation of
communication between business individuals who did not speak the same language
without being inhibited by the long, difficult, and often costly process of acquiring
new language skills in a foreign language.
This technology has a high resemblance to other wearable technologies that have been presented. The most famous of these is the Google Glass. Google presented the idea of this wearable, glasses technology in 2012 with the first of these units being sold almost a full year later in 2013. There were many concerns from the public about this technology being used to invade personal privacy and record conversations, meetings, and events without permission. The Google Glasses were/are also quite expensive which made it so that not many people had access to them.
I believe that the reason why the live closed captioning system will be more successful and have a greater impact than the other smart glass technologies have been is that it is more simple. This technology has a specific purpose and it accomplishes that purpose alone. The concerns about being filmed or recorded won't be an issue since there is no apparent camera or memory storage system. The fact that these additional elements aren't included in the technology also means that it will be less expensive and that more people will have access to it. This means that as the technology is adapted and applied in new ways it will be more useful in the professional world and an excellent tool that will shape the way that people are able to communicate. Eliminating the disadvantages of a hearing impairment and removing the language barrier are ways that more people will become competent and confident communicators thanks to this technology.
Thanks for reading!
Scott
Sources:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDz9-MUxrgA
2. http://glassalmanac.com/history-google-glass/
This technology has a high resemblance to other wearable technologies that have been presented. The most famous of these is the Google Glass. Google presented the idea of this wearable, glasses technology in 2012 with the first of these units being sold almost a full year later in 2013. There were many concerns from the public about this technology being used to invade personal privacy and record conversations, meetings, and events without permission. The Google Glasses were/are also quite expensive which made it so that not many people had access to them.
I believe that the reason why the live closed captioning system will be more successful and have a greater impact than the other smart glass technologies have been is that it is more simple. This technology has a specific purpose and it accomplishes that purpose alone. The concerns about being filmed or recorded won't be an issue since there is no apparent camera or memory storage system. The fact that these additional elements aren't included in the technology also means that it will be less expensive and that more people will have access to it. This means that as the technology is adapted and applied in new ways it will be more useful in the professional world and an excellent tool that will shape the way that people are able to communicate. Eliminating the disadvantages of a hearing impairment and removing the language barrier are ways that more people will become competent and confident communicators thanks to this technology.
Thanks for reading!
Scott
Sources:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDz9-MUxrgA
2. http://glassalmanac.com/history-google-glass/
THIS IS BRILLIANT!! Something so portable and easy to use. The fact that the person with the hearing impairment can simply read the screen, or lens in the case and the person talking doesn't have to miss a beat. This makes communication between people who have a hearing impairment and individuals who do not, a much smoother process. I am just wondering if it would work on selective hearing for my husband! All jokes aside, this is a really great invention that I have never heard of before your post. Really good job!
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ReplyDeleteWhat a great technology for a good cause. Not to mention you put up a Jimmy Fallon clip and I want to go search the Internet to get one of these things. I agree with you that it can have more success then the google glasses because of its simplicity and being easy to use. I did like your possible application to translating. This would be another reason for me to go out and by it because my fiance speaks Spanish and wants to go back to Chili someday. I could actually understand what people would be saying to me and even about me. Scott, thanks for a great find and opening my mind to more technology.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a fascinating technology invention! This will definitely impact the professional communication world. Now those with hearing impairments are able to use a device to aid them in their communication rather than having a deaf translator constantly with them. They will be able to rely on themselves more instead of always depending on a translator. I also agree that using this to help translate different languages is a very good idea. During business meetings especially, this tool would come in handy so that everyone is able to understand what is being said clearly and can also communicate clearly to those around them. Great artifact and great job!
ReplyDeleteScott- this is really cool. I can totally see how this invention could really enhance professional communication. Imagine that! Being able to have a conversation translated on the spot during a meeting or interview. No need to arrange for a translator to come. And if it's just on the spot, you aren't left in the dark with understanding the other person. Great job. You wrote with great style and good grammar.
ReplyDeleteThis is so different from what everyone else wrote about in their posts. I think this is going to be huge for those who are hearing impaired. It will definitely change communication for older people and those born with hearing disabilities, but do you think this will have benefits for those who are not hearing impaired?
ReplyDeleteHey Scott, what’s up? I really like your blog post – you seem like you really know your stuff. I’m fascinated by the way this technology could help those who have impaired hearing. I wonder what other ways this technology could be adapted. I especially like the idea of a translator. Real time translation isn’t that great right now, but maybe someday that would work out. I’m excited to see it happen.
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