Project Revoice
ALS Association
Project Revoice is a groundbreaking advancement in speech technology for individuals living with ALS. In partnership with BWM Dentsu, The ALS Association, and Lyrebird, we developed software that allows those who have lost the ability to speak to continue communicating in their own authentic and personal voice.
Services
- Product Development
- Machine Learning
- Software Development
“ALS takes and takes and takes. This time I will take something back! For those living with ALS to know that they can still speak freely in their own voice, even after ALS takes it away, will transform the way people live with this disease.”
Co-founder, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative condition that progressively destroys the motor neurons responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. The loss of motor neurons leads to the gradual inability to eat, speak, move, and eventually breathe.
As ALS progresses, it gradually takes away many aspects of life from those living with the disease. But one of the most unimaginable losses is the ability to speak, forcing them to rely on a generic computer voice instead of their own distinct voice.
Digitally recreating the natural speech of Pat Quinn.
Project Revoice utilises a unique deep learning algorithm to analyse the “DNA” of a person’s voice and create a fully digital voice clone. When integrated with text-to-speech devices, this technology allows people with ALS to continue speaking naturally in their own voice, even after they lose the physical ability to do so.
To launch the initiative, Project Revoice first restored the voice of Pat Quinn, an ALS patient and co-founder of the Ice Bucket Challenge. Although Pat had not recorded or “banked” his voice before ALS took away his ability to speak, the team was able to recreate it using old interviews and speeches as raw material. This restoration gave Pat, a man who had been a voice for so many, the gift of his own voice once again.
Building a voice bank for ALS patients worldwide.
Creating the highest quality voice requires hours of recorded speech — an opportunity most current sufferers don’t have. This urgency drove us to develop a platform that enables anyone to store their voice while they still can. We built a website that allows ALS patients to easily record and securely store their voices in the cloud. Project Revoice is now actively encouraging MND and ALS communities worldwide to preserve their voices, ensuring they can be digitally recreated in the future using this innovative voice cloning technology.