But without a baseline recording, the voices to date have lacked the natural sound of a child’s voice. Sound engineering can manipulate adult voices, adding filters that adjust for the higher pitch of a child’s voice, for example. The $190 application can be bought on iTunes Wednesday, but people who already own the app can add the latest voices at no charge.
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Most existing children’s voices sound “like adults on helium,” said David Niemeijer, chief executive and lead developer at AssistiveWare, which developed the software Enrique tested.ĪssistiveWare and its partner, Acapela Group, developed the next version, Proloquo2Go 2.1, which features two children’s voices - known as Josh and Ella - actually recorded by children. The effect can be startling to those listening because it doesn’t sound like a child’s voice. Until recently, devices that help children like Enrique speak used modified adult voices. “The voice now matches the boy,” said John Mendez, Enrique’s father.
“I want to play with the wrestling guys,” said Enrique in a voice not quite his own, but pretty close.Įnrique has Down syndrome and speech apraxia, which means that he cannot speak, aside from a few grunts and “Ma” in the word “Mama.” He was able to speak to his brother, though, with an iPad loaded with the latest version of a widely used text-to-speech application, Proloquo2Go.
Enrique Mendez, 9, and his older brother, Cristian, 11, sorted through a plastic bin of toys in their New Jersey home.