Impulse is supported by the Spanish

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It is estimated that in Spain more than 400,000 individuals suffer from various speech disorders , such as stuttering, dysfluency, dysprosody and dysarthria, derived from neurological causes such as the after-effects of a stroke or conditions such as Parkinson's, among others. These people often face difficulties in expressing themselves clearly and naturally, which impacts on their quality of life, affects their social relationships and distances them from their environment.

Samsung Electronics Iberia and Cheil have launched Impulse: a free app based on Artificial Intelligence that provides rhythmic support to improve the user's conversation , with the aim of increasing the fluency of speech of those affected.

A team of specialists led by Gonçalo Leal , Clinical Director and speech therapist at SpeechCare & Stuttering Center, was involved in its development, alongside speech therapists from 4 continents. Farah Al Qaissieh , founder of Stutter UAE and TedX speaker, also contributed her vision, being herself a person with communication difficulties.

The app is based on rhythm therapy , a speech therapy technique that stimulates rhythm, a universal language. Using a haptic metronome, a subconscious rhythm is created in the brain to improve language fluency. In Impulse, the rhythm is reproduced through the vibration meter built into the user's Galaxy Watch or Android smartphone, with vibrations customizable to their needs for speed, intensity and beat.

Customizing AI to individual needs
The app's operation is supported by a built-in algorithm based on Apache Open NLP , an Artificial Intelligence library used in Natural Language Processing, which links speech or syllable segmentation with the watch's vibrations. In this way, the app can generate vibration patterns tailored to the user's individual needs.

In this context, SoundBoost's functionality is multifaceted . On the one hand, the "Boost your voice" section offers direct help to the user by reproducing a customizable tuning pattern according to the settings of the application installed at the start of use, activated by a simple tap on the device. On the other hand, it presents two types of exercises meticulously developed by the team of experts at AudioTech & Pronunciation Center, aimed at perfecting the user's modulation and articulation:

Boost Your Rhythm – This is a set of exercises designed to perfect the pronunciation of each syllable in specific words. This module offers a wide selection of over 270 words with diverse characteristics, which can be repeatedly practiced until precise articulation is achieved. After each exercise, the user has the opportunity to self-assess and share the results with their specialized speech therapist. In the future, it is hoped to implement an Audio Comparison Technology that analyzes and compares the user's sound waves with reference ones, evaluating the similarity between the two.
Boost your tone : This section focuses on a series of exercises designed to improve intonation in complete sentences, adjusting to the expressiveness required by the context of each sentence. The user can perform a self-assessment after each exercise and keep track of their progress over time.
Finally, Impulse offers users the possibility to practice with personal texts, either by entering them directly in the “Boost your speech” section or by uploading a personal file in this section. This area uses Natural Language Processing Artificial Intelligence that analyzes, breaks down and interprets the document to generate a vibration pattern adapted to the user’s individual interests and based on the content of the text.

The main benefits of the app include the ability for users to practice independently and the option to share results with their speech therapist. This ensures not only progress during sessions with the specialist, but also individual advancement for those who do not have regular access to a specialist clinic.

Evidence validated by global specialists supports the results obtained
Impulse, a support tool that complements the work of specialized speech therapists, has been the result of more than 6 months of development and testing in various countries such as Spain, Portugal, Ghana, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. During this process, speech therapists from the SpeechCare & Stuttering Center and patients with communication difficulties have supervised and evaluated the different functions of the application.

So far, the 4.5/5 testimonials and ratings reflect that Impulse is a useful and promising therapeutic tool , which will have a significant impact in the disciplines of speech therapy, phoniatrics and audiology.

“Impulse has proven to be an effective tool for people with disfluencies and alterations in speech rhythm, obtaining good results in a short time and offering remarkable comfort for the user. During these months of work, we have observed that both the assistance provided and the exercises designed achieve the desired effect: improvement in speech fluency, which represents a significant contribution to speech therapy,” said Gonçalo Leal , Clinical Director and speech therapist at the SpeechCare & Stuttering Center.

«For more than 9 months, we have been working on the creation of an idea that turns an AI algorithm into a solution for more than 100 million people in the world who suffer from speech disorders. At Cheil, we believe that creativity and technology are the driving force of change for brands, and that is why we are committed to going beyond the conventional. This new idea is a clear example of this,» said Alejandro Di Trolio, ECD of Cheil Spain .

Association of Speech Therapists (ALE) and the Portuguese Society of cambodia whatsapp list Speech Therapy (SPTF) in Portugal , thanks to the good results obtained in its development.

Impulse is thus presented as a free tool to support people with speech difficulties who until now did not have technological resources. The download is available in the Google Play and Galaxy Store app stores for mobile devices, tablets and watches compatible with Android version 10 and higher. Currently, the use of the Samsung Galaxy Watch is required to enjoy the full experience of the app.

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