The Charlie speech recognition device was created by the Sensor-Tech Lab, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation. Since 2016, the company has developed technology to help hearing and visually impaired people socialize. Charlie is a device that uses AI to convert speech into text and display it on a smartphone or computer. Charlie has recently received a special remote communication function: for instance, a university lecturer can put Charlie on the desk while their hearing impaired students can read the lecturer’s recognized speech on their smartphones or computers while at home. This function can also be used for working meetings, conferences and educational events and speeches. The device only requires an internet connection.
“Now, when many people are working and studying remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is very important to support people with disabilities. So we urgently added this new function to Charlie,” said Denis Kuleshov, Sensor-Tech director and professor at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.
When in normal working mode, Charlie displays recognized speech so the hearing impaired person can read the words of the person they are talking to without asking for help. The device is often used at home to communicate with the family, as well as in public places, such as banks, hospitals and railway stations. Charlie also helps people at the Moscow Employment Center.