Mexico. Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. It has developed the world's first hands-free voice translation device, suitable for tasks where users' hands are often busy, such as in diagnostics or treatment in healthcare.
In recent years, with an increase in the number of visitors to Japan, more and more non-Japanese patients are going to hospitals, creating communication barriers in several languages. In 2016, Fujitsu Laboratories developed a hands-free technology that recognizes people's voices and the location of speakers, and automatically switches to the appropriate language without physical manipulation of the device.
That same year, he also worked with Tokyo University Hospital and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) to conduct a field test of multilingual speech translation in the medical field using tablets. Based on the results, Fujitsu Laboratories learned that since there are many situations where healthcare providers have their hands occupied, such as when providing care in a hospital ward, there was a great need for a portable speech translation device that could be used without being physically touched.
In order to expand the usability of multilingual speech translation, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed the world's first compact, portable, hands-free voice translation device by developing technology to differentiate voice with small omnidirectional microphones. This is possible through an ingenious modification of the shape of the sound channel and by improving the accuracy of voice detection technology that is highly resistant to background noise. The use of this device is expected to reduce the burden on healthcare providers whose hands are often restricted by other tasks.
Fujitsu Laboratories will evaluate the effectiveness of these newly developed translation devices in healthcare situations as part of a multilingual speech translation clinical trial(1) conducted in conjunction with Fujitsu Limited, Tokyo University Hospital and NICT, with the new devices being developed.
