WEBVTT - Improving Accessibility with AI 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:05.080 If you are hearing the sound of my voice, then 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:08.840 you are not actually hearing my voice at all. What 0:00:08.880 --> 0:00:10.520 I mean is that the voice you are hearing is 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:13.160 actually an assistive text of voice cloning tool that my 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:17.760 company created, and it is completely powered by AI. There 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.120 are many different types of AI tools to help people 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:23.600 who are differently abled. For me, it has restored my voice, 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:26.280 but there is so much more it can do. I'm 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:31.880 excited to see how it grows. Hey, there, I'm grain 0:00:31.960 --> 0:00:35.920 class and this is technically speaking an Intel podcast. The 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:39.199 show is dedicated to highlighting the way technology is revolutionizing 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:43.120 the way we live, work and move. In every episode, 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:46.400 we'll connect with innovators in areas like artificial intelligence to 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:50.440 better understand the human centered technology they've developed. As early 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:53.120 as the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel, 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:57.280 technology has always been an innovation to improve people's lives. However, 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:01.760 sometimes leaders and technology unintentionally exclude those who may deal 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:07.759 with uncommon issues such as physical immobility, neurodivergence, visual impairments, 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:11.320 or even old age. While governments usually put systems in 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:13.959 place to acknowledge and care for these communities, it has 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:16.840 been the role of technology to create advancements necessary for 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:20.080 those dealing with disabilities to thrive just as much as 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:24.280 they abled counterparts. With the revelation of artificial intelligence, there 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:27.400 are many new advancements that are providing accessibility to these 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.920 communities in the ways we never thought possible until now. 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:33.399 And I have two experts with me who are leading 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:38.319 the charge to more accessible future. Lama and Ackmann is 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:42.440 a visionary leader at the intersection of technology and human experience. 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:46.720 With a distinguished career spanning academia and industry, Lama has 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:50.200 consistently pushed the boundaries of technology to enhance our daily 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:53.840 lives and redefine the way we interact with computers. Her 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.840 innovative work has not only advanced the field of AI, 0:01:57.320 --> 0:01:59.600 but has also paved the way for more intuitive and 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:04.200 human machine interfaces. As an Intel Fellow and director of 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:07.240 its Human and AI Systems Research Lab, she leads the 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:10.880 team defining and executing the research for contextually aware and 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:15.920 personalized computing, developing sensing systems, algorithms, and applications to make 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:16.840 it all possible. 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:19.880 Welcome Lama, thank you very nice to be here. 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:24.040 We're also joined by Jagadesh Mahendram, a visionary entrepreneur and 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:27.240 tech innovator who has made significant contributions to the fields 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:32.080 of artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and sustainable development. With a 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:36.080 relentless passion for cutting edge technology to address global challenges, 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:39.520 Jakodesh has emerged as a driving force in shaping a 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:44.040 more sustainable and inconnected world. Most recently, he joined Camera 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.040 LLC with his founding partners and a team of visually 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:51.000 impaired volunteers. He uses AI to develop solutions and assistance 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:55.760 for those dealing with site lost and low visibility. Welcome, Jaggedesh, 0:02:56.040 --> 0:03:02.240 Thank you very much. It's so honor to be here. Okay, 0:03:02.280 --> 0:03:05.520 I've just start with Lama. Lama, how did you get 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:07.639 your start in tech and AI? 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:12.480 And I would say that I've been in love with 0:03:12.600 --> 0:03:17.120 tech probably since I was like two years old, you know. 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:19.640 I've always been into kind of like the latest and 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:24.400 the greatest technology growing up. But then after I graduated 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:29.639 from UW Madison, I actually joined Intel out of college 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.240 and then I worked there for a while. I went 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.680 out and did a few startups and then came back 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:40.920 to Intel specifically focused on that intersection of sensing and 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:45.240 understanding the world through that to create really compelling technology. 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:47.240 So that's been kind of like almost like a very 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.080 long career progression that brought me back to what I 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:51.000 was excited about. 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.760 Excellent, and then in terms of the AI component, how 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:56.360 did you start to get involved in that? 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.600 Yeah, so early on when I went back to Intel, 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:02.680 actually in two thousand and three, I started to look at, 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:04.640 you know, how do we make sense out of the 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:08.480 world around us? So to be able to understand a 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:11.320 lot of that sensor data that we were processing, whether 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:15.040 it's vision or audio or tex or whatever, right, that 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.240 really required work and AI to actually make sense out 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:20.200 of that data. So that's where it kind of started 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:23.200 around two thousand and four, and then since then it's 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:28.000 kind of looking at different ways of intersecting AI and 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:33.840 HCI to actually bring about really compelling experiences for users 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.839 and helping them perform all sorts of things in their lives. 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:42.039 Excellent and Jackets, how did you get your start in technology? 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:45.800 I have a very different story here. I was not 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:49.440 interested in technology or all. Actually wanted to become a doctor, 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.760 but you know, it's very competitive in India, so I 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:55.279 didn't really get good ranking, so I couldn't join the 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.559 college that I wanted to join, and the second option 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:03.000 was engineering, and I chose to do the computer science. 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:05.520 I think the very best turn out to me is 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:10.920 good that we're enjoying artificial intelligence and more than doctor. 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:13.520 I think I'm a bettery engineer than a doctor. 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:18.800 Oh that kind of makes sense with your I guess 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:21.559 love of medicine and the type of projects that you've 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:23.680 come up with. So we'll talk about that in a 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:26.279 little bit. But one thing I'll go back to Lama 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:30.440 in terms of AI improving the human experience you've mentioned HI. 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:32.200 First of all, if you can define for the audience 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:37.680 what HDI is and also how do you address solutions 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.279 and maybe you could educate me around what's the difference 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:43.880 between accessibility and accommodation when you're designing a system. 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:48.400 Yeah, so, first of all, HDI is a human computer interaction, 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:53.120 So it's really trying to understand how would people directly 0:05:53.160 --> 0:05:57.160 interact with technology. And sometimes that technology is something that's 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:01.719 actually physical that you're picking something on a computer or whatever. 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:03.359 But a lot of times, you know, some of the 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.560 work that we really work on is embedding it into 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:11.120 the environment so that it almost becomes like invisible. And 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:13.120 that's kind of one of the most interesting things is 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:17.640 like to really architect for interactions of things that are invisible. Honestly, 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:19.960 if you think about any technology that you're developing, you 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:23.320 have to think about how you're making it accessible, how 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.400 the interfaces are accessible, how different people with different types 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:30.919 of disabilities and abilities can actually interact with your technology 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:36.520 throughout like the development cycle. In some sense, part of 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:41.200 what I've really been focused on is creating technologies for 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:46.479 people who are severely disabled, where you really need very 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:50.640 different ways of interacting with the technology to enable that 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.200 to happen. Really, that focus specifically on the work with 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:57.800 ACAT and the workforce even Hawking, has really been about 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:01.280 how do you get around these on strengths to enable 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:05.200 people to access the technologies just like all of us. 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:11.080 Lama mentions Intel's ACAT, which stands for Assistive Context Aware talkit. 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:14.880 This technology was key in enabling Stephen Hawking's ability to 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:19.440 continue to communicate and inspire people around the world. Listening 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:23.200 to Lama speak about the human computer interaction processes, she 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:27.000 sounds less like a tech person and more like an anthropologist. 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.240 We often think of data and algorithms as being this 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:34.120 cold and personal assessment of people. But Lama has such 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:37.360 a passion for her programs, it makes me wonder just 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:40.520 how impactful that passion is to the way AI tools 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:43.920 interpret how to assist us. While she has spent so 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:47.040 much time learning how to program and manage computers, it 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:51.040 seems her real passion is in trying to understand humanity. 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:57.280 My passion has really been focused on how do we 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:02.400 bring more equity with technology. The work towards specifically extreme 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:07.280 disability really came about from my interaction with Professor Hawking. 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:09.680 So before that, a lot of the work that I 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:13.080 had focused on in terms of accessibility is really bridging 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:17.480 where people's needs were as they're doing different aspects of 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:20.320 their lives. Right you're driving, for example, how can that 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:23.920 be contextually aware so it can help support you without 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:27.440 assuming that you have all of your abilities there. But 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:31.600 once I started working with Professor Stephen Hawking, it became 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:36.319 very obvious to me that to bridge that extreme disability 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:39.880 you really have to think very differently about how technology 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:42.280 comes in. And that's what really got me excited about 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:42.760 that work. 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:46.320 Okay, and in terms of the involvement you had with 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:50.559 Professor Hawking's technology to help him interact with the world, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.000 What were the areas that you looked at? 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:56.000 The lab I lead is actually a multi disciplinary lab, right, 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.719 so we bring social science, design, and AI together. So 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:03.280 the first place you start is we needed to understand 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.559 how Stephen interacts with the world, what he is trying 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:10.160 to accomplish, and where are his bottomnecks in terms of 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:12.440 being able to do that with existing technology that he 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:14.760 was using. So there was a lot of observation to 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:18.280 try to understand how do we define the problem and 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.160 from there for people who are not aware of this, right, 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:25.080 Professor Hawking really didn't have an ability to speak, and 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.800 he didn't really have an ability to move, so he 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:31.160 couldn't really utilize many of the technologies that are available. 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:35.200 You couldn't do, for example, ASR where he could speak 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:38.240 and then the computer could be controlled by speech, Nor 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:41.240 could he type because he had no control over his hands. 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.920 So then we started to basically look at if we 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.600 really had a very very tiny signal, and in this 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.480 specific case for Professor Hawking, it was actually his ability 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:55.160 to move his cheek. Can we get access to that 0:09:55.400 --> 0:10:00.160 one signal and then turn that into a complete access 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.719 for his whole machine? And then we went onto that 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:07.959 path of essentially building a software platform and a sensing 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:11.319 subsystem that allowed for that to happen. All he can 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.839 do is confirm something with the movement of a cheek, 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:17.360 and now he can type, he can email, he can 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.000 serve the web, he can give lectures, he could do all. 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:22.719 Of that in What year was that that you were 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:23.160 working on? 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:27.560 So we started our interaction with Stephen and twenty eleven 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:31.240 and it kind of lasted throughout his life until he 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:35.320 passed away, which was twenty eighteen. So we after a 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:37.560 couple of years we were able to put together a 0:10:37.600 --> 0:10:39.720 system that he could use that he could switch to, 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:42.640 and then over the years we just continued to enhance 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:45.160 it and add more capabilities. We open sourced it so 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:46.560 that we could take it into the world. 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:48.800 And yeah, that was my next question in terms of 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:52.120 the technology that was developed. Have you seen it applied 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:54.120 more broadly to others. 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:58.240 Yeah, And initially we were hoping that we could find 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:02.280 some technology out there we could take and modify slightly 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:04.800 so that he could use it. And then after being 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:08.120 proven wrong, we then went onto this path to go 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:10.880 and develop something from scratch. But from the get go 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:14.200 our goal was to develop it so that it could 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:17.760 support a lot of different users and be a platform 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:21.079 for developers to build on top of, because we realized 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.319 that there was that gap in what existed out there 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.920 in the open world. And Stephen was a huge contributor 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:30.600 to this project, right he he you know, he was 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:33.800 a designer, he was a validator, he was you know, 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.080 he gave a lot of his insights. So throughout all 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:39.559 of this he was really focused on ensuring that that 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:43.240 actually went to open source because you know, people reached 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:45.720 out to him all the time because he was, you know, 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.320 an own figure with that extreme disability, and everybody was 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.040 asking him, like, what technology is available to us to 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.959 actually use. So he's been like really focused quite a 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:57.600 bit on making that available to the world. 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:01.960 You can really sense how dedicated Lama is to helping 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:06.280 those with disabilities communicate with others. However, talking is just 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:09.880 one way we communicate, and moreover, there are a combination 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:13.000 of ways that we engage and interact with our environments. 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:16.320 As a way to help people that may struggle with 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:21.600 another sense is our other guest Jagged Dish originally designing 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:24.240 a backpack that uses AI to help guide the blind. 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:28.280 His project expanded into really dissecting what it means to 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:32.040 be visually impaired. Lama and Jagged Dish both have different 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:35.559 approaches to their missions. The work compliments each other so well. 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:42.440 Jagsh I'd like to get you into conversation now, in 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:47.280 particular the AI powered backpack that has been developed by 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.880 yourself and others. Can you just tell me a little 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:52.880 bit about I guess the genesis of that idea. 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:58.040 I've always wanted to do something using the technology that 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:00.720 can help the society in what way or the other. 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:05.360 And when it came to Masters in twenty thirteen, one 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:07.120 of the first things that occurred to me was like, 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.439 you know, we should use EI and use a bunch 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.720 of sensors to help the usually impaired see the world, 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:18.200 like how sighted people see. And one of the primary 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.600 visions that I used to occur to me was when 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:24.640 somebody is standing in public places like buz stop, there 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:27.160 should be a solution in such a way that the 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:31.400 person who is blind should get totally unnoticed. And around 0:13:31.440 --> 0:13:34.800 that time the technology was not as good as how 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:37.960 it is now. The real inspiration occurred to me when 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:41.000 I met my friend. The day when I met her, 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.840 she had a black mark in her face, and I 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:46.440 was like, you know, what happened to your face? And 0:13:46.480 --> 0:13:49.640 she's usually impair and she was saying, as she was 0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:52.760 walking outside in the sidewalk, she ran into a tree 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:55.520 branch and then that left a mark in her face. 0:13:56.360 --> 0:14:00.520 And that was such an ironical for me because by 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:04.920 then I was already a perception engineer, teaching robots to 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.800 see things, you know, do complex us. But at the 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.040 same time, there are so many people who cannot see 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:17.520 right and that sort of spart my desire to work 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:21.080 on this project sooner than later. Around the same time, 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:24.400 this competition of Open Sea Special ai I was going on, 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:28.960 sponsored by Intel, and I submitted this idea and the 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.640 project ended up winning the first price. And this friend 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:34.360 has been helping you throughout how to develop a system 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:38.680 that is more user friendly and actually solves important use cases. 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:43.520 And through this competition received a lot of attention, and 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:45.280 this is when we started to think, you know, we 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:49.560 should probably you know, get incorporated and try to create 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:52.880 a full fledged open source system so that anybody in 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:56.040 the world can use it and help in improving the 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:59.320 lives of the visually impaired. Currently, we are supported by 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:04.800 Intel's irt A program Intel Rise Technological Initiative program, and 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:08.840 we are receiving an in collaboration with Accenture. Through this partnership, 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.760 you're able to gain a lot of support both on 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.400 the technical and non technical side. And soon we will 0:15:14.440 --> 0:15:18.600 be releasing our improved version of the system, which we 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:20.640 call as Phoenix in a few months. 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:24.480 Okay, excellent, looking forward to it. And can you tell 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:26.360 me what I've seen a little bit of a video 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:28.680 on it where you've got a backpack. Maybe you could 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:30.640 just describe some of the main system elements. 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.800 Yeah, the physical system mainly consists of a backpack that 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:38.640 has Intel Look with a couple of new compute sticks 0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:42.040 and this is the sort of the compute resource. And 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:45.360 at the front we have a camera. It's Obi camera 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:47.800 that is is put in the front and connect it 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:52.720 to the system behind and whatever this sensor collects the data. 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:57.359 We run some AA processing behind using deep learning techniques 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:01.920 and the system will infer useful information about the environment 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:05.320 and update the user such as where are the obstacles 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.160 and what are the common objects seen in the scenario, 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:11.760 what are the moving objects, what are the traffic conditions? 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:16.400 And more similar features for communicating there is audio interface 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:21.680 through bluetooth headphones, and we're also working on a haptic 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:25.640 band to communicate the same sort of information in form 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:27.680 of vibrations through tacktail information. 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:31.160 Lama was just wondering if you had any comments or 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:33.440 thoughts on this AI backpack. 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.240 I mean, it's a fantastic idea, and you know, if 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:41.640 you think about what is actually now possible with perception 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.400 and AI, I mean, it's it's just kind of like 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:48.360 the most natural thing to do to actually empower users 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:52.280 with such a capability that are vision impaired. I was 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.760 actually also quite intrigued by the haptic aspect of what 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:59.800 you mentioned, and I think it's something that tends to 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:03.560 be un they're utilized, but really kind of a natural 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:06.720 thing for this type of application, especially if you're trying 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:08.959 to kind of guide somebody in a direction. So I 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:11.280 was wondering maybe you can say a few words about that. 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:12.760 I was really intrigued by that. 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:17.840 Yeah, So if the first prototype contained mainly the audio interface, 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:22.199 all the information is actually shared via the wireless headphones 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:26.679 and not all the users prefer that main reason is 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.320 because they usually impair people rely on audio cues when 0:17:30.320 --> 0:17:34.800 they're wearing earphones. We are sort of blocking a lot 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:37.840 of environmental cues, which is why we wanted to introduce 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:43.560 another modality for user interface, which is haptic bands. Basically, 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:48.920 using a combination of motors and vibration patterns, we can 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:53.520 communicate tons of information just using few motors, like even 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:57.440 less than ten morrors. And the current prototype that we're 0:17:57.440 --> 0:18:01.400 working on is pretty simple version. It can be put 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:06.480 on the wrist and this can communicate potentially hundreds of 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:10.880 combinations of vibrations, and at some point we're really aiming 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:14.240 for a set of where we can communicate pretty much 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:18.760 everything the system sees through the happic vibrations. If a 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:23.359 user prefers completely one hundred percent haptic bands, that is 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.080 something that we are targeting for. At the same time, 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:29.119 some users might prefer, you know what, I want this 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.200 sort of information to be communicated via audio and some 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:35.800 sort of information with the haptics. We're also are working 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:39.080 with the combination of system as well, but having hapic 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:42.919 bands in a solution like this opens a sort of 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:47.240 a different dimension for the users here, especially we're visually impaired. 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.399 What Jagadish hints at with his explanation of haptic bands 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:56.520 versus audio interface is a very fascinating, multi pronged approach 0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:59.920 to the solution. In technology terms, haptics is all about 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:03.240 how your device interacts with you through touch. Think of 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:06.080 the times when your phone vibrates in your pocket, or 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:08.359 when you play a video game and the controller shakes 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:12.080 in response to you taking damage from the endgame boss. Oftentimes, 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:15.720 in developing solutions for disabilities, there is a one size 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:18.320 fits all approach that seeks to do an adequate job 0:19:18.400 --> 0:19:21.359 for the most number of people. This strategy fails to 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:24.960 take into account the nuances of the human experience in 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:27.840 the same way that some people are audio learners while 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:30.679 others are visual. When it comes to aiding someone with 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:34.720 a disability, it is important to consider what methods complement 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:38.680 their strengths and experiences. The beauty of how jagger Dish 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:41.600 seeks to develop this AI tool is that it is 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:45.840 constantly studying and creating more specialized options for the users, 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.640 from audio to haptics. It has the potential to grow 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.240 in a number of ways to accommodate the visually impaired 0:19:52.920 --> 0:19:55.800 ways we never thought to supplement them, and maybe these 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:58.880 developments will even have an impact on those with perfect sight. 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:03.479 Leans into the human computer interface component that Lama mentioned earlier, 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:06.840 the constant study and assessment of how people will actually 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:14.000 use the tools. Given you're listening to technically Speaking an 0:20:14.000 --> 0:20:27.200 Intel podcast will be right back. Welcome back to technically 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:34.720 speaking an Intel podcast. I'd just like to get more 0:20:34.760 --> 0:20:39.280 broadly into Intel and it's AI efforts now, Jaged you 0:20:39.320 --> 0:20:42.879 have a partnership with Intel. You've mentioned it before, how 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:45.800 you're working with Intel and how they've come to the party, 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:49.160 so to speak. What's it like working with their team 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:52.159 in terms of their support and assistance they've given you. 0:20:52.600 --> 0:20:55.960 It's fantastic. The amount of exposure and the support that 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:59.600 we've received from Intel is really amazing. What we admire 0:20:59.600 --> 0:21:03.560 about Intel is how open they are in developing the 0:21:03.800 --> 0:21:08.440 solutions for accessibility, and they have a dedicated team who's 0:21:08.440 --> 0:21:10.920 purely working on solutions like this. And we also got 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.840 opportunity to look into the projects that Lama's team has 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:18.439 been working on. They're simply superb. I think these solutions 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:22.520 like this are transformative and it's going to change lives 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:26.040 for people. And in terms of the support that we've received, 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:30.760 they have been helping us on many aspects all the 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:35.280 way from helping with putting up a process training the 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:38.600 model assets, you know, creating a platform for training models, 0:21:38.680 --> 0:21:42.920 and also sharing the connections, and also with funding. So 0:21:43.160 --> 0:21:45.520 a lot of the features that is going to come 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:49.000 as part of Phoenix is coming out of the IrDA project, 0:21:49.440 --> 0:21:53.520 and the sort of feedbacks that would risk in improving 0:21:53.560 --> 0:21:57.720 the solution is something that we don't get outset easily. 0:21:59.080 --> 0:22:01.800 Yeah, and it's one of the things that I believe 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:04.440 we're really all about at Intel, right If you look 0:22:04.480 --> 0:22:07.440 at our mission, it's really enriched the life of every 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:10.280 person on the planet, and every person, right, not just 0:22:10.359 --> 0:22:14.000 able people. So it's really wonderful that you're seeing that 0:22:14.119 --> 0:22:17.479 support and the diversity of the type of platforms and 0:22:17.480 --> 0:22:20.000 solutions that we have, right. So I'm really just very 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:23.240 heartened by what you said, Drakhandesh. One of the things 0:22:23.280 --> 0:22:27.320 maybe that is a top of mind project something called Omnibridge, 0:22:27.960 --> 0:22:32.080 and Omnibridge is essentially a software that is meant to 0:22:32.520 --> 0:22:36.440 bridge again the silence gap, but for people who are 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:40.439 hearing impaired, so that you know, essentially you're translating in 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:43.720 and out of like sign language, so you know, people 0:22:43.800 --> 0:22:47.400 can sign into their PC and then the PC can 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:51.959 actually translate that into language on the other end, and 0:22:52.000 --> 0:22:54.679 then vice versa. Right, So it's like, you know, what 0:22:54.720 --> 0:22:59.000 you're really enabling again is to enable people in their 0:22:59.320 --> 0:23:01.720 everyday life life to actually be able to do that. 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:04.280 And to be able to do that, you need a 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:07.439 lot of the AI support and AI compute on these platforms. 0:23:07.440 --> 0:23:09.119 So one of the reasons again what I was saying, 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:12.280 it's really nice to see it at these platforms and 0:23:12.359 --> 0:23:14.840 at the lowest cost that you can actually bring it. 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:17.520 You start to really democratize AI in ways that really 0:23:17.560 --> 0:23:18.800 improve people's lives. 0:23:19.000 --> 0:23:21.200 Yeah, for me, I mean one of the key things 0:23:21.200 --> 0:23:25.640 you've just said is democratizing technology, and I think that's 0:23:25.680 --> 0:23:28.440 the real power of it is. Yes, we can have 0:23:28.480 --> 0:23:33.320 those really fancy solutions that Professor Hawking has, but for me, 0:23:33.480 --> 0:23:37.000 it's about trying to get that cost down so that 0:23:37.080 --> 0:23:40.880 it makes it so much easier for people to use. 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:44.600 So actually, just as a correction, so Professor Hawking didn't 0:23:44.640 --> 0:23:47.199 have a fancy system, I was actually at PC with 0:23:47.280 --> 0:23:50.840 a very lightweight sensor and in fact, like a big 0:23:50.880 --> 0:23:52.800 part of what we've been really trying to do with 0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:55.920