Lead researcher on VIVOCA, Professor Mark Hawley is also Director of the new Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH), which brings together the University's established expertise across health research, engineering, psychology, computer science, architecture, and social science to develop new technologies to help people to live independently.
"What's special about CATCH is that by integrating researchers from so many different fields, we are able to look at the whole picture - not simply the technical issues, but also how a technology can help improve or reduce the costs of healthcare and how it can respond to the needs of the people who will use it," says Professor Hawley.
"VIVOCA is a good example of what can be achieved with this kind of collaborative research. As well as computer scientists - who develop the software - the project has involved healthcare professionals and industry to turn an idea into a product which is now ready for market."
Also speaking at the CATCH launch today is Dr Geoff Fernie, Director of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, one of the most technologically advanced rehabilitation research centres in the world.
"VIVOCA is an example of an amazing invention that will change the lives of many people," says Dr Fernie. "It's also one of many advanced technologies being developed at CATCH that are offering possibilities for greater independence and happiness for all of us as we grow older and inevitably encounter challenges."
Jon Toogood, who has cerebral palsy, is one of five patients in the Sheffield city region currently trialling the market-ready version of the technology.
"Not being understood can be degrading, as some people assume that my speech impediment means that I must have learning difficulties and treat me like a child," he says. "As an intelligent adult this is both frustrating and annoying. VIVOCA helps me to communicate faster and more clearly when I need to and it's helpful in noisy situations. It also will give me the confidence to talk to people I don't know as sometimes I can't be bothered to put myself in a situation where I know someone may not understand what I'm saying."
Two other technologies developed at the University of Sheffield will also be showcased at the launch: NANA, a technology to help elderly people manage and improve their nutrition and SMART, which helps people with stroke and COPD manage their conditions and improve their quality of life.
CATCH will also house a new laboratory - called Home Lab - which mimics rooms in an ordinary house but which is fitted with cameras and other sensor equipment. The Home Lab will be used to test - in 'real' situations - how people use new technology or devices in the home, to help ensure they meet the best design and healthcare standards.
About the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH)
The Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH) is focused on the development of new user-friendly technologies, which enable people to live independently at home for longer.
The Centre builds on the University of Sheffield's track record of world-leading interdisciplinary research on assistive technology and connected healthcare.
CATCH's experience and expertise encompasses activities across the spectrum, including: identifying healthcare and user needs; research into future technology; user-centred design and development of prototypes; the evaluation of new technology with patient and user groups; supporting and studying adoption and implementation within the NHS.
About the University of Sheffield
With nearly 25,000 of the brightest students from 117 countries coming to learn alongside 1,209 of the world's best academics, it is clear why the University of Sheffield is one of the UK's leading universities. Staff and students at Sheffield are committed to helping discover and understand the causes of things - and propose solutions that have the power to transform the world we live in.
A member of the Russell Group, the University of Sheffield has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2011 for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen's Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007), recognising the outstanding contribution by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life.
One of the markers of a leading university is the quality of its alumni and Sheffield boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students. Its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.
Research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, Siemens, Yorkshire Water and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. The White Rose University Consortium (White Rose) a strategic partnership between 3 of the UK's leading research universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. Since its creation in 1997 White Rose has secured more than £100M into the Universities.