CoeFont and Mitsubishi Chemical Group Announce the Results of TANAMIN Digital Health Challenge ALS Study

CoeFont’s AI voice technology gives patients and their loved ones hope for the future

4 min readMay 31, 2023

CoeFont Co., Ltd., a registered startup company at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, developer and provider of services utilizing AI, announced the results of the “Well-being of ALS Patients and Families” project as part of the TANAMIN Digital Health Challenge, a start-up partnership program created and organized by the Mitsubishi Chemical Group (TSE: 4188). May 31st, 2023, 12:00 JST

CoeFont and Mitsubishi Chemical Group Announce the Results of TANAMIN Digital Health Challenge ALS Study

Earlier this week tech startup CoeFont released the findings of its Proof of Concept Study. The results revealed that AI Voice technology offers promise for people with ALS and their loved ones, giving them hope and a more positive outlook for the future. CoeFont is committed to further developing digital voices and collaborating with pharmaceutical companies, medical institutions, and support groups to improve the quality of life for individuals at risk of losing their voices.

Proof of Concept Study Exploring the Use of AI Voice Technology to Improve Well-Being for Individuals with ALS and their Families

The study was part of the TANAMIN Digital Health Challenge, a partnership program for tech startups organized by the Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG). The aim of this study was to improve the overall well-being of ALS patients, their families and loved ones using innovative digital technology, and was carried out with the full support of the MCG.

Study Details

Aim：Proof of Concept study exploring the ways in which AI voice technology can enhance the daily lives of ALS patients and improve their quality of life.

Method：The study involved 3 participants, an individual with ALS, their partner, and a friend. The study was carried out with the participants’ consent.

Voice Banking
Each participant was recorded while reading 700 especially selected Japanese sentences. The recordings were then used to produce a natural sounding digital voice using CoeFont’s proprietary AI voice synthesizing technology.
Application and Utilization of Digital Voices
The participants were asked to use their CoeFont digital voices in daily conversation with help of a smart device.
Interview
Participants were interviewed and asked to share their thoughts and impressions about using CoeFont’s AI voice technology.

Questions and Results:

Q：Please rate the degree to which CoeFont digital voice realistically reproduced your voice.（High） 3 > 2 > 1 （Low）

Score：6/9

Outcome：The rating reflects that participants felt that CoeFont digital voices were generally realistic.

Discussion：Some phrases sound less natural than others depending on context.

Q：Please rate the change (if any) in your attitude towards the future since creating a digital voice（Positive） 3 > 2 > 1 （Negative）

Score：9/9

Outcome：The rating indicated a positive change in attitude towards the future among all participants.

Discussion：Improving technical accuracy of AI speech models.

Q：Would you recommend CoeFont’s AI voice technology to other patients? (I would recommend it) or (I wouldn’t recommend it)

Score：3/3

Outcome：The rating indicated that all participants would recommend CoeFont’s AI voice technology to other patients.

Discussion：Devising ways to make CoeFont and its use in the medical field more widely known.

Study Conclusion and Next Steps

The study found that AI voice technology could provide hope for ALS patients, their families, and friends. Although the technology is highly advanced in voice replication, the need to improve AI learning for use in daily conversation was also evident. The study aided the team in identifying specific areas for further examination and improvement.

CoeFont will continue to work alongside pharmaceutical companies, medical institutions, and support groups to improve the lives of individuals at risk of losing their voices, and their families.

The tech startup has been offering free voice replication and use of digital voices to individuals at risk of losing their voice since 2021. As of May 2023, over 400 people have benefited from the free plan. Users and their families have conveyed their appreciation for the service, which they say has given them hope for the future, and also expressed the wish for more people to learn about the initiative.

About TANAMIN Digital Health Challenge

The TANAMIN Digital Health Challenge is a program in partnership with tech startups, organized by the Mitsubishi Chemical Group. Its purpose is to incorporate innovative technologies into healthcare to enhance the well-being of patients and their loved ones.
https://tanamin-digital-health-challenge.net/ (English page)

About the CoeFont Platform

CoeFont( https://CoeFont.cloud ), an innovative AI Voice Platform using the latest AI technology to convert voices into expressive, easy-to-use digital voices which can be used with Text-To-Speech, Voice Changer, and Cross-Lingual TTS. The CoeFont platform provides immediate access to our Voice Hub with over 10,000 diverse digital voices. Whether for training sessions, internal announcements, audiobooks, promotional content, or live during meetings or streaming, these voices are always ready to bring your ideas to life.

About CoeFont., Ltd

Established in 2020, CoeFont Co., Ltd., registered at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, develops and provides AI-based services. The company is currently focused on AI-based speech synthesis and is developing an ethical and inclusive AI voice platform. CoeFont ( https://CoeFont.cloud), is available in all countries and regions.