Coming from the Experience With Google department, the Look to Speak application allows all users to communicate via their smartphone using the gaze. An incredible accessibility feature that is finally available in French and in many languages.

The Look to Speak app for talking with your eyes // Source: Google

You who read this article, you may be lucky to have all your physical and mental faculties to use your smartphone for multiple uses, call, send messages, take pictures without the slightest worry. This is not the case for all and, in this, technology is a major advance for the good of the greatest number by erasing more and more, and better and better, the barriers of disability.

The tenors of the sector like Apple, Microsoft and even Google have gone to great lengths in recent years to offer multiple improvements in their products as well as in their applications and software. On Frandroid, we try to put these innovations to the fore as much as possible and to the knowledge of those who might need it for various reasons. But also because they are sometimes essential functions for the people concerned and very useful even for the able-bodied.

An app to communicate vocally when you can’t anymore

Among the newcomers, the application Look to Speak designed by Google is a real step forward in ease of use for people who only have their eyes to communicate. The app works thanks to machine learning algorithms that follow eye movements thanks to the selfie camera and can thus allow you to select sentences or words from a pre-established list.

Look to Speak is quite basic in terms of design with its green and white colors. No frills or annoying elements to control the app with your eyes. This offers two columns of phrases and words most used by you or quick answers in general. You just have to look to the right, left or upwards for the camera to identify the content, select it and pronounce it aloud to your interlocutor. Everything is extremely fast in operation. You can even pause it while staring upwards.

The Look to Speak application facilitates communication for those who do not speak // Source: Google

Obviously, the goal of the app is to be as personalized as possible and it will be possible to add vocabulary and specific terms or to edit the sentences. You can also adjust the detection sensitivity, although the AI ​​will also learn from your uses. And now, the latest update offers the application in many languages ​​including French.

Control the smartphone with facial and eye expressions

This is not the first time that such a function has seen the light of day. Apple has already deployed similar features in its operating systems, and much more technologically advanced devices exist to help those who have difficulty expressing themselves. But Android was somewhat devoid of it in such a simple way. Because it is the simplicity of use that can generalize its use, also with caregivers faced with patients unable to speak and therefore to exchange.

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In September, Google had already unveiled with Android 12 new functions that allow you to manage your smartphone in particular thanks to your facial expressions. Everything is not yet optimal, but things are going on the right track and a few updates will polish everything over the months.

Being able to easily participate in a conversation when you are hard of hearing or mute, find your way when you are visually impaired: so many situations in which technology can now help to facilitate the daily lives of…
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