Wearable vibrotactile speech aid

Abstract

A method for training vibrotactile speech perception in the absence of auditory speech includes selecting a first word, generating a first control signal configured to cause at least one vibrotactile transducer to vibrate against a person's body with a first vibration pattern based on the first word, sampling a second word spoken by the person, generating a second control signal configured to cause at least one vibrotactile transducer to vibrate against the person's body with a second vibration pattern based on the sampled second word, and presenting a comparison between the first word and the second word to the person. An array of vibrotactile transducers can be in contact with the person's body. A method for improving auditory and/or visual speech perception in adverse listening conditions or for hearing-impaired individuals can also include sampling a speech signal, extracting a speech envelope, and generating a control signal configured to cause a vibrotactile transducer to vibrate again a person's body with an intensity that varies over time based on the speech envelope.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.