In
user-mode, HeRMeS enables the user to browse between grids of
pictures and text. Each element of a grid reacts differently when it
is selected or clicked: a sound can be played, the content of the
element can change, a set of words and pictures can be added to the
sentence currently built, or another grid can be displayed...
For
example, a grid can offer a choice of suggestions, such as:
‘I
want to eat’. This item is linked to another set of pictures
for different kinds of foods. Each picture when it is selected can be
associated with a text spoken by a text-to-speech engine.
In user-mode, all the functionalities are easily accessible, whatever the user’s disability may be, thanks to the different navigation tools provided (with a single switch, two switches, a pointer device or a keyboard).
In
editor-mode, the person in charge of the user can create new layouts
of items and configure in detail the parameters of each of them. The
grids and the trees of grids so created can be exported to be shared
with other users.
A library of images and sounds is also provided,
and can be extended to create a customized environment of
communication for the disabled user.
‘Hermes’ is the messenger of the Gods in Greek Mythology, hence the name of the project. The capital letters R, M, and S in its name stand for ‘Ready-Made Speech’.
A virtual link will be created between HeRMeS and Custom Virtual Keyboard (CVK), a project also hosted by SourceForge.net and developed by another group of programers, to allow the user to switch easily from one tool to the other, thus giving him access to a comprehensive environment.
-- Olivier Armand, Kim-Loan Pham and Sophie Tambidore - 2003-2004 / A2
I.S.E.P.
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