Intel has introduced a new communications platform which is designed to replace Professor Stephen Hawking’s old communication platform.
Intel did not give out details of the old platform, but the chip maker is planning to release the new platform to research and technology communities by January 2015.
The new platform has been customised to suit Professor Hawking’s requirement and will improve his ability to communicate with others through ACAT (Assistive Context Aware Toolkit).
ACAT is expected to help those who have motor neuron diseases (MND) and quadriplegia and has the potential to become the backbone of other such systems.
The company has improved the software which has helped increase Hawking’s typing speed and also improved the speed of other common tasks like browsing, editing, managing, and navigating.
Intel has also used technology from SwiftKey, a British language technology company to improve the system’s ability to learn from Hawking and predict the next words and characters while typing.
This information from the system is sent to his existing speech synthesiser which will enable him to communicate with others through others through his Lenovo laptop powered by Windows.
Intel’s toolkit can be customized according to the needs of the users and is expected to operate through eyebrow movements and eye blinks.
Professor Hawking said: "Medicine has not been able to cure me, so I rely on technology to help me communicate and live."
"Intel has been supporting me for almost 20 years, allowing me to do what I love every day.
"The development of this system has the potential to improve the lives of disabled people around the world and is leading the way in terms of human interaction and the ability to overcome communication boundaries that once stood in the way."
