January 21, 2013 at 11:03Intel will help Stephen Hawking talk faster
Unfortunately, Stephen Hawking’s speech rate has deteriorated over the years due to a degenerative motor neuron disease that he has been struggling with for 50 years. Now one of the greatest geniuses of our time is able to pronounce only 1 word per minute through a speech synthesizer. However, Intel is developing a new interface for the scientist , which will allow him to increase the speed of speech to 5-10 words per minute.
The Hawking synthesizer was originally made in the form of a lever on the chair, with which he selected letters on the computer screen. Later, they put an infrared sensor on his glasses, so the professor began to choose the letters with his eyes. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do this, so the 71-year-old physicist turned in 2011to Intel co-founder Gordon Moore asking if Intel is able to help him upgrade and deliver a more efficient system.
Intel Technical Director Justin Rattner said that the new Hawking synthesizer can use not only the choice of letters, but also the facial expression of the scientist to enter words. There is an option to put two levers, and then the scientist will be able to signal Morse code, which will also be a "big step forward," Rattner said. The words + synthesizer interface itself will become better, and the word prediction engine has also been improved.
Intel has been helping Stephen Hawking choose computer hardware since 1997, when Gordon Moore noticed that Stephen was using a computer with an AMD processor.. Since then, Intel has been free to upgrade Hawking computers every two years, now it has the brand new Core i7. In total, the scientist's IT team includes three people, including Intel employee Rob Weatherly (Rob Weatherly, pictured in the middle).
Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with degenerative disease of motor neurons at the age of 21, with a survival period of no more than three years. Stephen Hawking did not live up to the prediction: on January 8 he turned 71 years old, and he is full of vitality .
The Hawking synthesizer was originally made in the form of a lever on the chair, with which he selected letters on the computer screen. Later, they put an infrared sensor on his glasses, so the professor began to choose the letters with his eyes. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do this, so the 71-year-old physicist turned in 2011to Intel co-founder Gordon Moore asking if Intel is able to help him upgrade and deliver a more efficient system.
Intel Technical Director Justin Rattner said that the new Hawking synthesizer can use not only the choice of letters, but also the facial expression of the scientist to enter words. There is an option to put two levers, and then the scientist will be able to signal Morse code, which will also be a "big step forward," Rattner said. The words + synthesizer interface itself will become better, and the word prediction engine has also been improved.
Intel has been helping Stephen Hawking choose computer hardware since 1997, when Gordon Moore noticed that Stephen was using a computer with an AMD processor.. Since then, Intel has been free to upgrade Hawking computers every two years, now it has the brand new Core i7. In total, the scientist's IT team includes three people, including Intel employee Rob Weatherly (Rob Weatherly, pictured in the middle).
Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with degenerative disease of motor neurons at the age of 21, with a survival period of no more than three years. Stephen Hawking did not live up to the prediction: on January 8 he turned 71 years old, and he is full of vitality .