Ryan. Alex. Siri. These are ###### of robotic voices that are ###### programmed on cellphones or tablets. ###### also become identities for people ###### speech disorders who rely on ###### to communicate.]]>
2 Million People Suffer From Speech Disorders

The effort to build an ###### "Human Voicebank" has attracted more ###### 17,000 volunteers from 110 countries. ###### is Priyanka Pandya, a 16-year-old ###### Columbia, Maryland, who plans to ###### her winter vacation recording a ###### of sentences into her laptop.

"###### be able to give somebody ###### gift of voice," said the ###### at Glenelg Country School, "I ###### that's really, really powerful."

Her ###### could be used to help ###### of more than 2 million ###### who have severe speech disorders ###### need help to communicate.]]>
Company Customizes Voices For Users

"Everyone has a voice," ###### Rupal Patel, founder of VocaliD, ###### Belmont, Massachusetts, start-up that launched ###### voicebank. "Even people who are ###### have sounds that are unique ###### them."

Her company designs personalized ###### by recording the unique, if ######, sounds of the user. Then ###### sounds are blended with a ###### sample- usually six to 10 ###### of recordings- from a voice ######, matched by age, sex and ######.]]>
Tim Bunnell is ###### of the Speech Research Laboratory ###### the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital ###### Children in Wilmington, Delaware. He ###### engineered voices for more than ###### people with degenerative diseases such ###### amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. ###### people were usually able to ###### their own voices before they ###### the ability to talk. He ###### it's more challenging to extend ###### a voice should sound like ###### someone who can only make ###### few vowel sounds.]]>
Bunnell ######, in particular, they work to ###### the "vowel quality" because the "######" of someone's voice is primarily ###### through the vowels.

Voice Donors Are As Young As Age 6

Patel, who ###### also a speech technology professor ###### leave from Northeastern University, worked ###### Bunnell as a researcher. When ###### decided to bring the technology ###### of the lab, she developed ###### own method for blending voices ###### turned to crowdsourcing for help.]]>
Since Patel announced the voicebank ###### years ago, the response has ###### overwhelming, she said, with donors ###### 6 to 91 logging on ###### over the world. People donate ###### many reasons. Some are practicing ###### or working toward community service ######. Some have throat cancer or ###### diseases such as ALS and ###### eventually receive voice help themselves.]]>
She began recording her ###### last summer, using headphones and ###### into her computer as she ###### from her screen. Then she ###### family friends and others to ###### the same.

VocaliD Gives ALS Patient His Voice Back

Patel said she ###### continuing to simplify the process ###### build voices more cost-effectively and ######. The $1,249 price tag puts ###### out of reach for many ######.]]>
Also, ###### voices change. The company is ###### for donors who are willing ###### record their voices, and then ###### them again a few years ###### as they get older. But ###### of the first customers say ###### are happy with the results.

###### Gregoire, of Windham, Maine, was ###### of the first to receive ###### customized voice last December from ######, then in a pilot phase.]]>
Since then, his wife, Linda, ###### she got used to hearing ###### speak with "Ryan," the American-sounding ###### voice programmed into his iPad. ###### they heard his customized voice, ###### reacted instantly together. Linda said, "###### was him."

The couple is ###### money now to build a ###### studio to encourage people in ###### community to make high-quality recordings ###### their voices to donate.

"Having ###### distinctive voice is like getting ###### back that was stolen," John ######.]]>