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PDVoice Buddy |
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Use it or lose it!
Most people with Parkinson's have been told they're speaking too quietly. The difficult part is that it doesn't feel that way. The voice drops gradually, and the internal sense of "normal volume" drops with it — so you're speaking what feels like an ordinary sentence while the room hears a murmur. Being told to repeat yourself, over and over, wears people down until they simply say less. |
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PDVoice Buddy is an attempt at the smallest useful tool for that problem. Itlistens to the room through your phone or tablet and shows you one thing: a glowing dot. Bright means your voice is carrying. Dim means it's fading. That is the entire app.
What makes it more than a volume meter is that it measures your voice against the room rather than against a fixed number. A quiet kitchen and a busy café need very different volumes to be heard in, so the app works out the
background level continuously and asks you to rise above it. You don't adjust anything when you move.
It's designed to be ignored. The dot is meant for the corner of your eye while your attention stays on the person you're talking to — so it can sit on a table between you during a conversation, or float as a small bar over whatever else you're doing. It never records anything: sound is converted to a loudness number many times a second and immediately discarded.
It is free, it is a prototype, and it is not a medical device. It was built for one person with Parkinson's and is now being offered to anyone who wants to try it.
What makes it more than a volume meter is that it measures your voice against the room rather than against a fixed number. A quiet kitchen and a busy café need very different volumes to be heard in, so the app works out the
background level continuously and asks you to rise above it. You don't adjust anything when you move.
It's designed to be ignored. The dot is meant for the corner of your eye while your attention stays on the person you're talking to — so it can sit on a table between you during a conversation, or float as a small bar over whatever else you're doing. It never records anything: sound is converted to a loudness number many times a second and immediately discarded.
It is free, it is a prototype, and it is not a medical device. It was built for one person with Parkinson's and is now being offered to anyone who wants to try it.
PDVoice Buddy is bilingual, offering users a choice between English, and Spanish, within a single app.
Currently available for Windows and Android devices..
Download the .zip file and extract it to any folder on your system. Read the HOW TO USE text or PDF before installing!
Please take the time to complete the survey after you or your PWPD has used the app for a few days!
Currently available for Windows and Android devices..
Download the .zip file and extract it to any folder on your system. Read the HOW TO USE text or PDF before installing!
Please take the time to complete the survey after you or your PWPD has used the app for a few days!
