In Star Trek, they use the Universal Translator. It’s a cool gadget which allows our favorite characters to talk to other species without having to wait for a translation. Life has been imitating art in Iraq as troops at checkpoints have been using iPods equipped with a kind of universal translator to speak in Arabic to Iraqis while on mission.
Due to the Popularity of the iPod, it’s relatively low cost (procurement wise) and it’s lightweight pocket size, the gadget has proven extremely successful in communicating with the indigenous population. Organized by mission, The translator application is called VCommunicator and it has proven to be a handy device that not only translates necessary English phrases, but also includes handy greetings and blessings, animations of hand gestures with audio, map reader, mug shot database, and several other applications that troops need in the ongoing battle against terrorists seeking to derail the Surge. And with the line/out capability of the iPod, Soldiers can connect to a loudspeaker communicate to large crowds in their native language.
Now, the VCommunicator’s maker, Vcom3D, is planning to bring the application to the travel industry with a civilian version that will enable travelers to use similar technology to make their way around locations they are travelling in and blend deeper into the culture.
No word on price, but we’re betting it’ll make it’s way to downloading on iTunes really soon.
Virtual demo can be seen here.