Samsung brings Impulse to all Android smartwatches to assist individuals with speech disorders

Samsung has recently announced that their Impulse application, designed to assist people with speech disorders such as stuttering using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a vibration system, is now available for all Android smartwatches compatible with the app. More than 1 percent of the world’s population, approximately 70 million people, suffer from speech disorders that can cause interruptions, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds, syllables, or words, including stuttering or aphasia.

In an effort to help improve the situation for these individuals, Samsung introduced the Impulse app in April of this year. This free app utilizes AI to help users improve speech fluency by providing rhythmic support on the wrist through the smartwatch. The company has now made Impulse available for their Galaxy Watch6 series and it can be downloaded for free on Google Play and the Galaxy Store for watches compatible with Android 10 and higher.

Using an algorithm based on Natural Language Processing, Impulse analyzes words and transforms them into rhythmic vibrations on the wrist, acting as an invisible and silent assistant. The smartwatch provides users with the tempo of each phoneme or word through discreet vibrations, adapting to the individual’s speech disorder. This physical support helps users recognize their own speech rhythm, ultimately reducing blocks in diction and increasing fluidity in speech.

In addition to assisting with speech, Impulse also offers over 250 rhythm and tone exercises that increase in difficulty as users progress in their speech control. Developed in collaboration with Speechcare & Tartamudez Center and endorsed by the Association of Logopedas in Spain and The Portuguese Speech Therapy Society in Portugal, Impulse forms part of Samsung’s Technology with Purpose program.