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THEY TALK ABOUT AVA
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WHAT IS AVA (EX-TRANSCENSE)?
Ava is the first mobile app that makes group conversations between deaf & hard-of-hearing people and their hearing peers, finally possible & effortless.
- Zero to full engagement, under a second: Ava shows you who says what around you, in real-time, so you can answer in time, and be part of the discussion.
- Never miss a conversation again: Ava connects to the smartphones of a room to transcribe a group conversation, such as a business meeting, a family dinner, or a moment with your friends.
- True autonomy, right in your pocket: Available anytime, anywhere, right in your pocket. Your personal interpreter for group communications is finally affordable.
We're Berkeley and USF grads from the US, France, Holland and Taiwan. We faced the problem of the communication barrier in an unusual way: one of us is a CODA, the other one is deaf and two of us are hearing and learnt sign language.
UPCOMING:
We set out to make Ava available everywhere. No matter where you are, what devices yo have in hand. Thanks to you, we have now the funds to develop a first iOS version of Ava. We want to go further.
With any Internet connection, you will be able to connect to the Ava platform.
- Get the big picture. Laptops are bigger. This means bigger screens to see more at once, more words, for a better captioning experience.
- Portability. Keep your preferences and conversations across screens.
- Enriched reading experience. On the fly, experience with more interactive functionalities. Think about how your favorite applications on your desktop could interact with Ava. It's limitless!
WHAT AVA OFFERS:
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You were tons to ask us about the perks and some details about them. So we thought we would simplify and answer more about it.
- Infinity Packs offer unlimited Ava captioning for different durations. You start the conversation, and anybody can join. This is free for them as well, as they are jumping on a conversation, not creating one.
- Silicon Valley Insider includes 1-YEAR of Ava, and gets you to hang out with us for a whole morning, seeing the behind-the-scenes, and discussing with our friends at Boost. You need to come in Silicon Valley for this.
- Creative Club is a perk we're really excited about. Together we're stronger, and we know people are amazingly creative. We'd like to collaborate to create the most personal experience of Ava possible. By the way, if you wonder, the guy on the photo is Salvador Dali ;)
GETTING 360M PEOPLE OUT OF SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXCLUSION
5% of the world population suffers from disabling hearing loss. Group conversations are especially hard to follow. Ava is here to help just that.
Over 65 years old, it's even 4 out of 10 people affected by hearing loss.
In group situations:
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It's really hard to read lips: Only 25% of English can be read on lips. Staying focused long enough is in itself a challenge.
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The dynamics are intense and changing: if you miss a few words due to change of speakers, you may have missed a change of topic and end up confused.
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People are less accountable: It's hard to make sure that the deaf/hard of hearing person has understood the discussion. Peer pressure makes it harder.
In business meetings at work, during family dinners at home, or even in classrooms: this is a situation that happens everyday, and was taken for granted.
Until now.
We developed Ava to end the professional and social exclusion caused by hearing loss. Ava brings meaning to the conversation and allows the deaf person to actively engage again.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Ava connects to other devices in the room and leverages their microphones to listen to and interpret the conversation, right on your screen.
Tom installs the app on his tablet and brings the tablet for a dinner with his friends. His friends have never seen the product before, so Tom asks them to pull out there phones. Tom has a very clever and quick way to connect his tablet (has the app) with the other devices around the table. The only thing Tom's friends need to do is pushing one button to confirm they are part of the conversation. They do not need to install the app or anything else. However they do have the option to install the app for free. This allows for an even better experience for Tom and his friends.
Developed in the heart of Silicon Valley, we strive to provide the best available technologies for an unmatched user experience.
- Lightning speed: With our sockets and node.js architecture, we're able to deliver lightning fast experience, usually under a second. We thrive to make sure you will receive the information in time to answer it right away.
We make possible again engagement in the conversation.
- Superior speech recognition: We're leveraging the best ASR systems available to understand what people are saying.
We optimized our system to provide to the user the best transcription possible.
- Dynamic speaker identification: Our algorithms leverage the distributed microphone system that we create to know exactly who is speaking. The speakers are clearly color-coded and separated, so you always have a full understanding of the conversation dynamics.
We know how hard it is to keep track of who is talking: we made this deadly simple.
- Two way communication: Ava also allows you to respond, ask, or speak back for you, with a personalized voice. The user can also notify the people around that he or she wants to say something.
We thrive to provide the best communication interaction between deaf & hearing.
BETTER THAN THE USUAL SUSPECTS
We believe that current solutions and traditional approaches are not providing what it is supposed to help people to thrive: true autonomy.
When all others solutions fail at group conversations, Ava is here for you and provides true autonomy.
Why?
- Ava is available 24/7: Current solutions in classrooms or business meetings for example require professional services - captioners, interpreters - that are a rare expertise and not always available. Get Ava out of your pocket, and attend the last-minute meeting. Now you can!
- Ava is 50x more affordable: Experts that you need to book for a full hours are expansive. Worry less about counting the hours and embrace Ava Infinity plan. Make "unlimited" part of your vocabulary again.
- Ava is a private companion: You wouldn't bring an interpreter or a captioner to a date, lunch or family gathering. Why have to choose between privacy and information? With Ava you can do both!
THINK DIFFERENT.
We're not your traditional "accessibility technology" company. We embrace the future and believe that the latest technologies should be at the service of the user, not the opposite.
We believe that:
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Together we're stronger: A group can now help the deaf and hard of hearing individual be part of the conversation. That is why we're not like traditional assistive device, but a participative experience.
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Your experience is the #1 priority: It is our #1 obsession to create a natural and non-obtrusive way of interacting between Deaf & Hearing
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One for all, all for one: Beyond being able to create a meaningful connection, Ava system (em)powers the participants to have efficient note-taking, memories of interesting and profound discussions
We've developed Ava technology for over a year, talked to more than 300 audiologists, deaf, hard of hearing, seniors, speech and behavioral design expert to help design the solution to this problem.
Ava is now in private Beta on Android, and we're raising $25,000 on crowd-funding platform to port it to iOS and web, so that any deaf & hard-of-hearing person can use it anywhere, at anytime.
Everyday we experience, feel, and see how valuable this product can be for people, when we use it with Skinner. Knowing that we can help our co-founder and friend with this technology already makes it a 100 times worth it for us. Help us help the other 359,999,999 people that need it, make a difference today.
Thank you!
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Is it Transcense or Ava? Transcense (Labs) has always been the name of the group developing the technology, but we felt that Ava would reflect more accurately the idea of the app. Ava, which means Audio Visual Aid, is now the new name of the company and the app, and will be your next personal captioner! See more here: https://blog.ava.me/
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Can I become a tester? Ava is currently in product development mode with a small group of Beta users. If you want to become part of this first testing group right away, you can do this with the $40-$50, "Early Access - Android" perks.
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On what devices and platforms will Ava work? Right now, Ava works on Android only, but very soon we will develop the iOS versions and later a Windows version. Not only will we expand on multiple platforms. Our goals include expanding to laptops, and wearables like Google Glass, and smart watches. Every microphone improves!
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Does Ava work for multiple languages? Our focus is in the first place to make a really well working English version. One of our most important higher goals is to develop it in other languages as well. Besides Spanish we will focus first on two other languages that can be decided upon by you! See our language voting page.
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How well does the technology work? We work with the most advanced speech recognition systems in the world, and develop multiple smart layers around these systems. Depending on circumstances like background noise, voice pitch, accent, and many more, the transcription will reach up to 95% accuracy. With not more than a second delay, we ensure you the most advanced captioning experience in a group.
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Do I need to hold the device in my hands all the time? Depending on your environment and the clarity of the speakers voices, it is very well possible to put the phone, or any other device on the table. It is not required to hold the phone close to your puth at all times. There is an optimal distance to your mouth however for which the technology works best.
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How do I respond when I do not verbally communicate? Ava is a two-way communication tool, that you always have available. You can type what you want to say and Ava voices it for you. Our voice customized to you and QuickReply system will help you be heard in conversations with the hearing. Like our co-founder, Skinner, who does not sign or speak, this is the most accurate way to make sure you deliver quickly and efficiently what you want to say.
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What is the maximum number of users per conversation? The system is optimized for 6-8 speakers in the same space. However it is possible to go all the way up to 20 speakers. And potentially even more in the future.
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What will the app cost? Ava will be free to download on both the Appstore and the Playstore ! You will be able to try it for free, and when you'll see the difference, you will be able to use it for an unlimited number of hours with the Ava INFINITY Pack. The captioning service will receive continuous updates and improvements, and 24/7 security for high quality, highly reliable transcriptions, adapted to your vocabulary. The subscription will cost a monthly 29$ per month at full price, but will be discounted for the Beta Testers and Early Birds.
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Do the other people in the group have to pay for the app? No, we want you to have only very little to ask others. Once you launch the app, anybody can join your conversation by downloading Ava. You're in charge of the conversation when you have a Ava account.
For additional information or questions, please feel free to email us: hello@ava.me