For every 100,000 people, there are 536 individuals with speech impairments who can benefit from the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices (Creer et al., 2016). Existing AAC devices can suffer from the shortcomings of being difficult to adjust to the user’s specific needs or simply being expensive to own and maintain. We aim to reduce the impact of these problems with CommBo: a web-based, speech-generating picture communication board meant to alleviate some major difficulties commonly experienced by AAC users. CommBo offers customizability beyond that of a physical picture board and leverages machine learning to provide intelligent suggestions. It supports heightened communication that can be brought to a multitude of computing devices, including those that are low-cost or have limited internet access. CommBo is designed for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and patients suffering from any trauma that impacts the person’s ability to communicate effectively, e.g., stroke-induced aphasia. Across two studies, target and non-target participants evaluated CommBo in terms of functionality and usability, and results showed significant benefits of the system.

每10万人中，有536名患有语言障碍的人可以受益于使用增强和替代沟通（AAC）设备（Creer等人，2016）。现有的AAC设备的缺点是难以适应用户的特定需求或仅拥有和维护昂贵。我们的目标是通过CommBo来减少这些问题的影响：CommBo是一个基于Web的语音生成图片通信板，旨在缓解AAC用户通常遇到的一些主要困难。CommBo提供了超越物理图片板的可定制性，并利用机器学习来提供智能建议。它支持可以与多种计算设备进行通信的增强通信，包括低成本或互联网访问受限的计算设备。CommBo专为患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的患者以及遭受任何会影响该人有效沟通能力（例如中风诱发的失语症）的创伤的患者而设计。在两项研究中，目标参与者和非目标参与者都在功能和可用性方面对CommBo进行了评估，结果表明该系统具有明显的优势。