A Montreal app lets people with ALS talk to family in a voice like their own
Anne-Marie Poirier lost her ability to speak to ALS. Now she types a few keywords into Vocality, an app built by two young Montreal founders, and it turns them into full sentences spoken in a recreation of her voice.
Why it matters
Typing letter by letter makes conversation painfully slow, and ALS often takes speech while leaving the mind intact. Poirier says her nieces and nephews are thrilled to hear her again. The app also works with eye-tracking, for people who can no longer use their hands.
One founder started it after two relatives lost their voices to ALS. They didn't live to use it. Others do now.