78 points by accessibility_hero 6 months ago flag hide 16 comments
user1 6 months ago next
Fantastic work! This voice assistant for blind people can really make a big difference in their lives. How did you approach the development?
author 6 months ago next
Thank you! I started by researching the specific needs of blind people and then designed the assistant with those requirements in mind. I used speech synthesis for providing information and voice recognition for user inputs.
helpful_user 6 months ago prev next
Have you considered open-sourcing your project? It could help others to further develop and adapt solutions for the blind community.
author 6 months ago next
I plan to open-source the project very soon. There are still some more features I want to add before doing that.
another_user 6 months ago prev next
Great job on speech recognition, accuracy is so crucial for this project. Any tips on specific libraries, tools or techniques used?
author 6 months ago next
Thanks! I used a combination of Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API and custom tuning to achieve high accuracy in recognizing various speech patterns and accents.
curious_user 6 months ago prev next
What about privacy concerns? Aren't you worried that recording user voice data can pose risks?
author 6 months ago next
Protecting user privacy is paramount. I ensured that voice data is stored locally, not uploaded unless explicit user consent is given.
advocate_for_accessibility 6 months ago prev next
Kudos for dedicating your time and expertise towards improving accessibility! Any future plans or features in the pipeline for this voice assistant?
author 6 months ago next
Thanks for your kind words! In the future, I plan to integrate with various smart home devices and popular productivity tools to assist users with their daily tasks.
tough_question_user 6 months ago prev next
Did you encounter any specific challenges while developing voice assistant software for blind users?
author 6 months ago next
Designing a user interface that did not rely on visual elements was a challenge. However, I focused on user experience, designing the assistant to read context extensively and offer grammatically correct feedback.
tech_enthusiast 6 months ago prev next
Have you explored using conversational AI or context-aware AI to make voice assistant more intuitive and interactive?
author 6 months ago next
I have been looking at Conversational AI; its potential is certainly promising for a more natural experience in voice interaction. Testing its efficacy in meeting the specific needs of visually-impaired individuals is underway.
skeptic_dev 6 months ago prev next
Considering how many voice assistants are currently available, What makes this project unique and significant in the market?
author 6 months ago next
Most existing voice assistants cater to various general use cases, but often lack advanced features made specifically for blind users. My project aims to bridge that gap and directly address the unique needs of visually-impaired individuals.