Communicaid Deaf Communication System

For people that are deaf or hard of hearing, technology has greatly improved their ability to communicate with  those that are not. Email, social networking, and texting being examples of technology that have opened ways to communicate. However there still remain barriers  and hassles when trying to communicate fluidly. With sign language interpreters, you lose privacy. Writing on paper or texting back and forth can be time consuming. Industrial designer Jaepyung Lee thought of these problems along with others and came up with a solution. His solution is Communicaid, a three piece deaf communication system that assists people with deafness to communicate in different situations.

First let’s look at the Communicaid Visual Sound Station. This piece is meant for indoor use to communicate sounds and words. The station receives sounds or words and displays them on a translucent cylinder. For instance words are displayed as text, a bell icon appears for the doorbell, and a red baby icon appears for a crying baby. The display screen is cylindrical so that the messages can be seen from any side.

Next up are the Communicaid Visual Sound Glasses. These are meant for outdoor use such as when driving or out jogging. The glasses are really kind of a headband that sits above the eyes and has a series of LED light indicators. If a distinctive sudden sound like a car horn or a person yelling occurs, the LED lights indicate the direction of the sound source. Giving the user visual cues to sounds they might not normally be aware of.

Finally there is the Communicaid Mobile Communicator. This device is designed to help alleviate some of the challenges when communicating face to face. The Mobile Communicator looks and functions the same as a smart phone with a sliding keyboard. With the ability to make calls, send email, etc. The screen is curved to allow views from opposite sides. Using voice to text technology, the person with deafness can read what another person is saying on their half of the screen. They can then type back a message that will appear on the other side of the screen that is viewable to the other person.

Overall Jaepyung Lee has designed a very well thought out system. Though this is a concept, all of the technology stated exists and can be implemented.