We’ve all experienced the benefits of voice technology. If we have a question, we can ask the voice assistant on our smartphone or smart speaker and receive a prompt and useful answer. Need to turn off the lights? Just ask the assistant connected to your smart home device. When we’re alone, asking Alexa or Google Assistant to play some music helps take the edge off our isolation.
Virtual Entertainers
This same voice technology can offer even more. Chatables uses the voice technology powering Amazon Alexa to entertain older adults with a shrinking social circle of friends.
The Imaginary Audio World of Storyteller Cafe
We’ve created four virtual entertainers who interact with our customers via audio. These characters appear in the imaginary “Storyteller Cafe,” which customers access by asking Alexa to “open Storyteller Cafe.”
The four characters never appear on screen, but our customers get to know each one by the sound of his or her voice. These virtual entertainers talk using a technology called “text-to-speech.” They speak in a natural-sounding way that’s easy to understand--and customers can turn up the volume on their smart speaker to suit their needs.
Active Vs. Passive Entertainment
Our offering is inspired by old-time radio dramas. The key difference is that our virtual entertainers invite the customer to participate in the stories. The customer is no longer a passive consumer of the story, but rather an active participant in the action.
These interactive stories immerse the customer in an imaginary world where they’re actively talking to other characters. They feel engaged and challenged, all while exercising their social brains.
We'd Love to Hear From You
If you’d like to learn more about our virtual entertainers and how they can help address social isolation and loneliness, we’d love to hear from you. We're actively looking for individuals and organizations to assist us in shaping the product to better suit the needs of our customers.