Dezeen · Creativity & design

AI alarm for deaf wins UK James Dyson Award

A design student has won the UK James Dyson Award for SIVO.GO, an AI-powered device that alerts deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to important sounds through vibrations and lights.

The SIVO.GO system was trained on over 500 sound samples to recognize noises like knocks or fire alarms and translate them into non-auditory alerts. The creator, Gargi Agrawalla, drew on her personal experience as a deaf cochlear implant user who felt vulnerable when her external processor had to be removed.

Agrawalla noted that existing alarms for the hearing impaired are often bulky, expensive, and designed for single sounds, necessitating multiple devices for travel. She aimed to create a single, portable system to reduce this burden and provide reassurance.

The AI model runs locally on the device to ensure user privacy and reliability without internet access. A separate vibration sensor can be attached to doors to detect knocking or forced entry, addressing issues with false positives from sound alone.

Agrawalla received £5,000 to further develop the product, including improving reliability, expanding user trials, and pursuing certification and pilot manufacturing. She believes the system could also benefit individuals with tinnitus, neurodiverse users, new parents, and older adults.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.