Description: The field of speech technology applications has been significantly extended by the emergence of smartphones, which require an efficient voice user interface, e.g. for RSS feed reading, SMS/ tweet/email reading or name dialing. The utility of such applications and ultimately their success depends on their ability to support individual languages, and this is one of the problems that will be treated within this project. The project will give rise to a synergy and the exchange of experience, resources and knowledge between partners in order to develop a platform for a range of useful applications of speech technologies on mobile devices using different operating systems, adaptable to the needs of different types of users, from different languages to the persons wi th complex communication needs. Joint activities on the improvement of the expressiveness and flexibility of text -to-speech synthesis (TTS) will lead to i ts easier application in a wider range of services. Similarly, increased accuracy and robustness of automatic speech recognition (ASR) in particular domains of interaction, as well as its adaptation to the voice of its user, will increase the range of its application. Many people whose communication capabilities are severely reduced for any of a variety of reasons, use augmentative al ternative communication (AAC) instead of conventional means of communication between humans, i.e. speech or written language. They prefer a speech enabled
application converting strings of visual symbols into meaningful sentences.

The platform based on ASR, TTS and AAC will be developed within a coordinated effort of all project partners, each participating country will adapt it to i ts language(s), and the project will thus have a significant impact on all multilingual regions within the Danube Region.

Contact person: Prof. dr Vlado Delidc
Period of realization: 2016 – 2020
ID:9 944