Travelling and not knowing the local language will no longer be a hassle for those who have spent hours learning how to speak in foreign dialects or rummaging through Google Translate in order to find the right words to say. There is a new player in town that aims to provide users with the most seamless translating experience ever. And the name is Travis.
Travis is a small gadget that can be carried around and has its in-built AI. It is roughly the size of a small remote control with a screen on it and it can live-translate up to 80 languages. Using its AI abilities, the device can recognize the speech pattern of the speaker and instantly gauge the language as well as provide responses in that language as well. When online, the translator can translate 80 languages – from Afrikaans to even Welsh. Even offline, the device can handle the 20 most commonly spoken languages, being a boon to those who travel in sticky situations without network.
According to Mashable, the device is fitted with a quad-core processor, a touch-screen display, has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as well. There is also a slot for a SIM card. The device can also last up to a week on standby mode but when used regularly, will last for up to about 12 hours on a single charge. All in all, the device is a pretty promising gadget and can put a lot of translators out there to test. Travis’ AI uses the best apps available for specific languages to translate, selecting the best app required for each conversation.
Now, such a device may seem like a promising prospect. But, the current working model is made inside a large bulky prototype, with the final, more portable solution not yet seeing production. The company behind Travis has been seeking funding on Indiegogo and has received a good reception, raising over $80,000 in its funding goal. It is set to start a trial production run soon with mass production happening in May or June and will effectively be able to deliver the final product to backers sometime in July.
Will the success of implementation of AI translate into a fruitful experience for the user? So far, there is only a video of the working prototype for users to compare with. Apart from that, we’ll have to wait and see until the device is officially launched.