Android based voice assistant for blind people

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to discuss the development of Android-based Intelligent Software Assistant application for visually challenged or blind people. The application is intended to help people with visual limitations or blind people to access Android-based devices so that they can use library resources by using android devices. Design/methodology/approach The necessary data are collected from journals, articles, books and questionnaires, and similar applications are analyzed. The application design method used is the Scrum method, which consists of Backlog, Sprint and Scrum Meeting. From the operational side of the application, the method used is speech-to-text and text-to-speech. Findings This application has been tried with some users who have total blindness and low vision, and all provided a good response to this application. From the performance side, the user gives a very satisfied response to this application. While the ease of using the application, the user also provides a satisfactory response to the ease of using this application. Research limitations/implications The application still has limitations in penetration to the user, and the application is only built using Android as its platform. In addition, the dependence on libraries from Google has caused difficulties in implementing this application with local dialect, which is only understood by the local community. Social implication This application has implications for the society, especially those with limitations in eyesight can be so much more productive and independent. This can reduce the social burden in society. Originality/value This application provides an easy access of an android device to blind people and people with low vision, as well as access to library resources with devices that have been installed with this application. This facility can improve the library accessibility to the blind and visually challenged community.

Voice-Based Conversational Agents for the Prevention and Management of Chronic and Mental Health Conditions: Systematic Literature Review

“…Text-based conversational agents have been extensively studied in the domain of digital health interventions [ 80 - 83 ] and can be considered as a precursor to VCAs [ 9 ]. Moreover, voice modality may differ in their appropriateness of app, compared with text modality, depending on the health-related context (eg, public spaces [ 84 , 85 ] and type of user [ 24 - 26 , 86 , 87 ]). Thus, future research should not only standardize the research in terms of implementation and evaluation measures but also consistently evaluate this technology against what we could consider the gold standard of conversational agents.…”

“…First, voice-based interaction leverages the naturalness [ 20 , 21 ] and social presence [ 22 , 23 ] of human-to-human conversation. Second, it facilitates input for users with low literacy or with visual [ 24 ], intellectual [ 25 ], motor, linguistic, and cognitive disabilities [ 26 ] and can support more natural health routine tasks when in-person health care is not possible [ 19 , 27 ]. Third, it opens the door to voice or speech analysis, whereas features of the patient’s utterances can be passively monitored to derive health states [ 28 - 31 ].…”

Reliability of Commercial Voice Assistants’ Responses to Health-Related Questions in Noncommunicable Disease Management: Factorial Experiment Assessing Response Rate and Source of Information

“…In addition, VAs leverage speech-based interaction, which makes information lookup more efficient and accessible compared to classical methods (eg, desktop web search [11,12]). This is particularly the case in situations in which users have their hands occupied [13][14][15][16][17], lack reading and writing skills [18], or suffer from visual, motor, or cognitive inabilities [19][20][21][22][23][24] and cannot access information on display devices, such as smartphones, desktops, or tablets. Hence, VAs are a powerful alternative to provide chronic patients with easy access to information about NCD management.…”

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“…Therefore, the total number of voice assistance users is growing steadily. Moreover, new consumer groups such as blind people (Barata et al 2018) and children (Lovato and Piper 2019) are using these services with rising demand, whereby children are socialized at an early age to use them. A Swiss study showed that one-third of the Swiss population is already using voice functions mainly via smartphone (Kunath et al 2019).…”