Local scientist writes software for Hawking

In January, when ex-IITian Dr Arun Mehta started improving the 8216;eLocutor,8217; his four-year-old voice synthesising software, he didn...

In January, when ex-IITian Dr Arun Mehta started improving the 8216;eLocutor,8217; his four-year-old voice synthesising software, he didn8217;t know how far it could go. The old project revived after globally-famous scientist Stephen Hawking approached Mehta for help with a software that he currently uses to communicate, read and write.

Mehta set about customising eLocutor, knowing it could end up being Hawking8217;s only means to interact with the world. 8216;8216;Professor Hawking contacted us, among several other software companies. He was looking for someone to write the replacement for his current software, of which he is the only known user alive,8217;8217; says Mehta. While assisting Hawking, Mehta left the eLocutor open to suggestions and changes, to encourage improvements. 8216;8216;The software is stable, ready to ship, downloadable from the Internet and completely free,8217;8217; he says.

An excited Dr Mehta now plans to use the eLocutor in an IT institute for disabled people that he is setting up. 8216;8216;eLocutor can train any disabled person how to make smart, life-improving gadgets,8217;8217; he claims.

All you need to use the eLocutor is a finger that moves 8211; everything else involving reading, writing or communicating is taken care of by the machine. Mehta believes disabled people will enjoy the freedom it offers.

8216;8216;Programming isn8217;t that hard,8217;8217; Mehta says, adding 8216;8216;Though not everyone takes to it, I doubt if the percentages are different among the disabled. Partly because their career choices are limited, they might give this a harder look. Besides, if someone is writing software to improve her own life, motivation will be higher.8217;8217;

The IT-for-disabled institute is still a work in progress but the courseware is largely set. It will train a mix of students disabled or not in hardware, software and machine design, so that they may eventually choose to start manufacturing devices or find employment.

First on Mehta8217;s wish list is to see his students develop IT tools for the disabled. 8216;8216;After all, the competition for such tools is priced exorbitantly,8217;8217; he says.