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ENGINEERING PRODUCTS PRIVATE LIMITED

Winner of the National Award for Empowerment of People with Disabilities, 2010

MIT Technology Reviews Innovator of the Year 2011 Avaz is Indias

first commercially available Augmentative and Alternative Commupal-

nication AAC device. It enables people with disabilities like cerebral

sy, autism, mental retardation and speech disorders to communicate.


Avaz converts limited muscle

movements into speech.

To learn more about Avaz, look inside...

How Avaz works


People with neural motor condi-

tions are intelligent and aware of


the world around them, but have

poor muscle control. This often


includes muscles that make speech.

Avaz is a portable device which constructs messages from coarse


muscle movements. These messages are then converted into speech. Avaz is thus an artificial voice for such people.
Avaz works on the principle of converting muscle

movements into speech. Users with good hand control can use Avazs touch screen to select what they want to say. Other users can use Avaz with scanning. In this mode, Avaz shows various options on screen, and presents a highlight that moves between them. When the highlight reaches
the option that the user wishes to choose, the user makes a large muscle movement for example, by touching anywhere on the screen which selects the highlighted option. When a full sentence has been constructed, Avaz converts the message into speech. Scanning in Avaz is made faster using grouping, ordering, and prediction. The options are arranged to mimic keyboards and alphabet charts, so it is quicker to navigate. Avaz also uses artificial

intelligence to automatically predict words based on what the user is trying to type. A user using Avaz in text mode can make a sentence fast enough for a real conversation!
In order to cater to a wider spectrum of disabilities, Avaz is also available in

picture

mode with support for Indian languages. The picture mode is totally configurable, so that Avaz can say anything that the user wants no limits!

Variants of Avaz
Avaz Text (English)
This variant of Avaz is useful for people who have high literacy and cognition, and who have started using the English language for their communication needs. This is the most flexible form of Avaz, and the users can say anything they desire. Avaz Text has a number of features for use in classrooms and social environments: it has provision for storing and inserting pre-determined templates; it has a paragraph mode for editing, saving and loading large blocks of text; and its dictionary (of more than 10,000 words) can be modified with a spell mode.

Avaz Images (all languages)


This variant of Avaz is useful for younger users or people with lower cognition, or for users who do not use English. This version of Avaz is the easiest to use, with the user navigating through a pictorial set of words and sentences representing different objects and actions. A PC-based editing software allows the options to be totally customized for any language. The use of recorded voices increases naturalness as well as a sense of identity. Avaz Images uses Symbolstix images, used by leading AAC devices around the world.

Avaz: designed for life


Avaz was built to be a part of your life.
Here are some of the features built into Avaz to help it become an artificial voice for you: Portability: Avaz is only as big as a school notebook, and can be carried around the neck with a strap. It weighs only 400 grams the same as a paper-back book!

All-day use: Avazs battery lasts for 5 hours of continuous use, and a full day of intermittent use. Recharge at night and use all day!

Your partner in school: You can use Avaz for learning lessons, taking exams, and doing homework. The quick mode allows you to save and load
paragraphs. The dictionary can be customized to add new words. By connecting Avaz to a PC, you can save, edit and print out everything that youve saved.

Desk and wheelchair mounts: Avaz comes with an adjustable desk mount which can be used for securely holding Avaz while you type. If you use a
wheelchair, we can also make a special mount for you.

Making every voice heard: Avaz is designed to be


accessible to everybody. It is compatible with a variety of switch peripherals for easy access. Avaz supports audio scanning, which is useful for users with visual impairment.

Your device, your voice: In picture mode, Avaz is


totally customizable. You can use pictures from the internet, and even your own photographs. You also can record the voice of your parent, your brother or sister, or your best friend. Your device will speak with your favorite voice!

The story of Avaz


An indigenous, low cost AAC device was one of the many product ideas conceptualized at Silent Revolution, a conference that was held in 2005 at IIT Madras. Avaz was developed with constant feedback and inputs from Vidya Sagar (formerly the Spastics Society of India, Chennai). The development of Avaz was partly funded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India. Avaz was launched in Vidya Sagar on 27th February, 2010. Since its launch, it has received wide acclaim. Avaz was awarded the

National Award for Empowerment of


People with Disabilities on December 3rd, 2010. It was also recognized by MIT Technology Review as Indias Innovation of

the Year, 2011.


Avaz receives the National Award for Empowerment of People with Disabilities, from the President of India on December 3rd, 2010.

Avaz is now being used across India. Some institutions using Avaz include: Indian Insti-

tute of Cerebral Palsy (Kolkata), SPASTN (Chennai), Spastics Society of Karnataka (Bangalore), AIISH (Mysore), and Sambhav Resource Center (New Delhi).

Rohit Parekh Jain is one of the first users of Avaz. He was a student at Vidya Sagar when Avaz was developed, and his feedback was invaluable in the development of the device. Rohit is non-verbal, and uses Avaz to communicate with friends, family and teachers. Rohit is now studying Sociology in Loyola College, Chennai.
Rohit Jain, one of Avazs first users

Avaz is easy and fun to use. I use it regularly to talk. I spoke to my parents using Avaz. They are very happy. - Rohit Jain

Specifications

Avaz is priced at Rs 30,000 plus applicable taxes. This includes: free customization software on PC; free case, strap and stand; and free software upgrades for 1 year. We provide manuals, training guidelines, pilot program guidelines, and online resources to all of our users at no extra charge.

Contact us.
If all my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose to keep the power of communication, for by it I would regain all the rest.
Daniel Webster

We welcome inquiries from people whom Avaz could help, as well as people who could work with Invention Labs to improve the reach of Avaz, and maximize its impact.

For more information, please contact us. INVENTION LABS ENGINEERING PRODUCTS PVT. LTD. Module 01C, First Floor, IIT Madras Research Park Kanagam Road, Taramani Chennai 600113, INDIA Web: http://www.avaz.in Phone: +91-44-65552989 e-mail: info@avaz.in

Copyright 2007-2010 Invention Labs Engineering Products Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Avaz was developed with the support of IIT Madras, Vidya Sagar (previously Spastics Society of India, Chennai), TePP-DSIR and Villgro. DISCLAIMER: Although efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained here, Invention Labs expressly disclaims liability for any error in this information, and for damages, whether direct, indirect, special, exemplary, consequential or otherwise, that may result from such error. Any questions or comments regarding this document or its contents should be addressed to Invention Labs at the address shown on the back cover of this document. Invention Labs provides this publication as is without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a specific purpose. This publication could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication. Invention Labs may make improvements and/or revisions in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this publication at any time. 13.12.10 6.6.11

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