Talking ATMs

Since 2004, the research team of BME VIK TMIT SmartLab has been helping blind and partially sighted people to use ATM machines with Hungarian speech support. BME in cooperation with OTP, NCR and Wincor-Nixdorf in recent decades many ATMs hve been supplied with the ProfiVox-triad text-to-speech synthesiser to provide voice output for the blind and partially sighted. Many ATMs are equipped with a headphone jack, this indicates that it is a talking ATM.

The blind user plugs in his/her own headset and a male voice gives help in the further use. The synthesiser gives oral information at all time on the steps of the transaction. The voice informs the user about the keys of the machine, reads the texts appearing on the screen, the contents of screen windows, helps in navigation, helps in querying the balance and withdrawing money. It tells you verbally when the money has been dispensed by the vending machine and can be taken away.