FFT-BASED DIGITAL TACTILE VOCODER SYSTEM FOR REAL-TIME USE
A microprocessor-based real-time digital vibrotactile vocoder system has been developed to train the deaf and for artificial hearing research. The system is composed of a microcomputer module with a digital signal processor, interface units and an attenuator/driver circuit. Live or digitised (stored or synthetic) speech is presented to the skin spectrally through a belt housing eight or 16 vibrators. Speech is processed in real time using a fast Fourier transform. The system is also capable of presenting any arbitrary spatiotemporal pattern on the skin for artificial hearing experiments. A preliminary experiment with a deaf subject indicates that the system is potentially an effective device for artificial hearing.
vocoders fft hearing prosthesis speech processors tactile aids