Motor neurone disease sufferer hopes to preserve his identity thanks to this genius invention
It is being championed by the MND Association.
A motor neurone disease sufferer has praised voice recording technology for preserving part of his identity in case he loses the power of speech.
David Welsh, 49, is one of many people living with the degenerative disease who are “banking” key words and phrases using their voices.
The store of his own words will be used to create a personalised synthetic voice for the future if he can no longer speak.
Welsh, from Enfield, north London, who was diagnosed with MND 18 months ago, said the voice was “key to your own personality”.
In the UK, more than 5,000 people live with MND, a condition that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal chord, which tell muscles what to do.
Many sufferers experience weakness in the muscles of the mouth, throat and tongue, impairing their ability to speak.
Users record between 600 and 3,500 sentences using special software during the “voice banking” process.
The recording is converted to create a version of a person’s voice, which can then be used on speech-generating devices when they are no longer able to speak on their own.
Welsh, who moved to the UK from New Zealand in his 20s, said the process of “banking” his voice should take him about a month.
“There are a thousand or so phrases that need to be recorded so I think probably, if I was very efficient, I could turn that around in a week,” he said. “But I suspect it will take me quite a bit longer than that.”
For more information about voice banking check out the MND Association’s Helpline, MND Connect.
