IIT-B researchers develop an app to make communication for children with speech disabilities easier

Researchers from IIT Bombay have launched a mobile application called Jellow Communicator that helps people with speech disorders communicate better.

It is a free app compatible with Android tablets and mobile phones, uses icons and pre-programmed sentences to help children and adults learning to speak or with difficulty in speech. It comes in both English and Hindi and works offline as well once it is downloaded.

The app can be used by children with cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome and brain injury, or those who have lost their speech following a stroke.

“The idea came about around 2004, while working on a solution for communication for those with cerebral palsy,” said Ravi Poovaiah, Faculty-in Charge.

Jellow is based on Visual Emotional Language Protocol, a first-of-its-kind program. With a pre-programmed vocabulary of 8,200 sentences in English and Hindi, a conversation can be carried out with the click of buttons. The app can also speak out custom-typed sentences.

The researchers interviewed 30 children with speech difficulties and consulted with a therapist during the development of the app. The goal was to understand the problems the children face as well as the kind of issues they might have while using the app and addressing them well in advance.