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Idea

A device that gives you a slight electric shock when you use filler words

Image credit: Cayolord

Darko Savic

Darko Savic Dec 01, 2021

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A device that gives you a slight electric shock when you use filler words like "um", "ah", "you know", etc. You can configure it to get triggered by whatever you are trying to stop saying.
Why?
A fast way to correct your speech.
How it works
A necklace pendant with an embedded microphone, audio pattern recognition software, and an electric shocker.
It has 3 buttons. One is used to add additional filler words, the other is used to delete the latest word you added, the 3rd is used to configure the shock intensity.
Add all the words you want to stop using and adjust the strength of the electric shock to your comfort level.

habits business ideas

6

Creative contributions

Reduce the use of swear words

Shubhankar Kulkarni

Shubhankar Kulkarni Dec 02, 2021

Great idea! I see related applications of the device like reducing the use of swear words or words you don't want your kids to pick up.

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ahmed khmiri

ahmed khmiri2 years ago

its a good idea that helps keeping good maners especially for the presons who cant controol there selfs and the electic choc help activates blood circulation in general i like it 

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Shubhankar Kulkarni

Shubhankar Kulkarni2 years ago

Thank you, ahmed khmiri! Definitely, there may be some physiological benefits.

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Aashi Agarwal

Aashi Agarwal2 years ago

Hi Shubhankar, this reminds me of something I came across yesterday, while researching for an idea I was working on. Pavlok is a wristband that is designed to sends shock to the wearer to help prevent bad habits. However, as you can see in the video, Pavlok would rely on the user's conscious decision to punish themselves for their bad actions- this may not be the best bet. Hence Darko Savic's idea of having a microphone and an audio pattern recognition software embedded into it could be a good improvement to the Pavlok model.

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Speech correction using volume

Shubhankar Kulkarni

Shubhankar Kulkarni Dec 02, 2021

The same device could be used to help the user avoid talking loudly or very softly (so much that it becomes inaudible). A decibel meter could be incorporated into the device to enable noise measurements. Even if you are angry, you may train to talk in a normal volume and make better arguments. 

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Identify your tone and correct it

Shubhankar Kulkarni

Shubhankar Kulkarni Dec 02, 2021

You may not want to be sarcastic or sound angry when talking. The device will need to learn how you speak or what phrases you use when you are angry or sarcastic and it will then zap you if found talking in a similar manner.

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Marco Agudelo

Marco Agudelo2 years ago

the speech volume and tone are variables that could be improve. I like the idea that "You can configure it to get triggered by whatever you are trying to stop", AI may be crucial to face such a task. Nice, I like it. Could be a useful tool and funny to try it.🗣️ 

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Replace the boring, repetitive words/phrases you use in text and speech

Povilas S

Povilas S Dec 02, 2021

Filler words are the plainest level of a dull speech, but there is more to improving the way you speak/write and making it more vivid and interesting. Every person has common words and phrases they often use while speaking/texting, in other words, they have their own verbal habits. These could be broken by some vigilance and creativity (which is required to come up with what alternatives to use instead). The proposed device could help with the vigilance part, but it could also be made more sophisticated to suggest alternatives to your commonly used words/phrases and sentence structures.
Perhaps such a system could work better with writing than speech because in the case of speaking you'd have to be interrupted often. With regards to speaking the device could be handy for people who are rehearsing for public speeches, standup comedy, improvisational theatre, etc. In the case of writing, the software could check the texts you write and upon detecting that you used the same manner of expressing yourself again it would beep an annoying sound through the speakers, blink a light near your laptop's or smartphone's front camera or even activate the same electric shock device attached to your leg.

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Darko Savic

Darko Savic2 years ago

For writing, there are already adequate tools for the job like Wordtune. It works as a web browser addon.

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Market this idea among researchers and graduate students

Subash Chapagain

Subash Chapagain Apr 19, 2022

As a graduate research assistant, I have to present my research every month in this or that seminar. As a non-native English speaker, I find myself uttering words during presentations that are entirely unnecessary and that deviate my audience from the main points of my message (at least this is what my PI says, and I agree).
Hence, I can guess that there are many others like me who can do a decent job of explaining stuff in written formats and in unofficial settings, but when it comes to official presentations, completely lose their grip. Such a device that would give me a mini-shock every time I blabber unnecessary stuff would definitely make me a better communicator of science. This will definitely help people who did not grew up speaking English.

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Foul odour instead of electricity

Darko Savic

Darko Savic Jan 23, 2022

An alternative way of achieving the same objectives is if the device sprayed out tiny amounts of foul-smelling chemicals instead of electric jolts.

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Add your creative contribution

General comments

Aashi Agarwal

Aashi Agarwal2 years ago

I have been looking for a solution to the problem of having to deal with racist and anti-feminist remarks that are often passed in settings where voicing your discontentment may not be very easy. In India, it is fairly common for old people who come from a history of being raised in a predominantly patriarchal society to knowingly or unknowingly pass comments which might be offensive to a woman of the 21st century. It is a rather difficult task to stand up to people in position of authority at home or office (for e.g. your old Grandma or your old grumpy boss) every time something similar happens (I am not saying one should let it go, but at the same time, I believe it is difficult to take a stand every single time it happens). I still haven’t found a solution to this problem, however, it did lead me to think whether I had unintentionally been saying things that could have been hurtful to any section of the society. I believe Darko’s idea could help keep one’s own biases under check.

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