How Rob Burrow created his podcast using Grid

Computer-assisted communication and the use of AI to create a personalised voice means there’s a way for people like Rob Burrow to participate and be heard. Rob uses Grid communication software with eye gaze technology to speak, use apps, and control technology in his home.

By far the greatest way to demonstrate the impact of having a voice is for it to be heard by thousands of people. In his new podcast ‘Seven’, Rob Burrow interviews seven celebrities from the world of sport, using a Grid Pad 15 which tracks his eye movements to generate speech.

Let’s explore how Rob Burrow became a podcaster with an AI-generated voice he uses to speak, due to Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

How is Rob Burrow able to speak?

MND presents many challenges, including mobility, swallowing, and the ability to speak. With Grid, Rob can select letters, pre-stored phrases, and create sentences on his Grid Pad device, by controlling a cursor using his eyes.

This advanced communication device serves as his gateway to articulate thoughts and engage in conversations. He uses Fast Talker in Grid, which has a QWERTY keyboard, prediction features, and a place to store quick phrases. Rob can continue to communicate with his loved ones, despite MND taking away his natural speech and the ability to use touchscreen devices.

How does Rob talk on his Podcast?

Rob recently launched his new podcast, on the 7^th of November. In each episode the legendary Leeds Rhino star talks to a different sportsperson about their careers, challenges, and successful moments.

The first guest in the 7-part series, Wayne Rooney, was interviewed by Rob, who had created pre-stored questions in Grid and selected words using an eye gaze camera to create an engaging and compelling episode with his guest.

Programming pre-stored phrases can help to facilitate smooth and spontaneous conversation during the podcast series ‘Seven’, featured on the ‘The Total Sport Podcast’. In episode 1 with Wayne, Rob introduces the football star and explains that his wife Lindsey is on hand to help with using Rob’s eye gaze-enabled device.

How does Rob Burrow’s voice sound like him?

One of the distinctive features of Rob’s podcasting journey is the preservation of his voice and Yorkshire accent, through voice banking. This process used video and audio clips from Rob’s post-match interviews during his successful Rugby League career.

Rob’s computer-generated voice captures the essence of his unique speech patterns and beloved Leeds accent. Each word spoken on his podcast carries the authenticity of who he is, as a sporting legend and proud Yorkshire Dad.

What else is on Rob’s podcast?

Using his communication device, Rob crafted thoughtful questions for the first interview with Rooney, showcasing the true potential of assistive technology in breaking communication barriers.

As the first episode comes to a close Rob can’t help himself by asking Wayne a final question, who replies “You can’t shut him up, can you?” before Rob announces the second guest in his podcast series, Jonny Wilkinson.

Other friends interviewed on the podcast series include former British double-Olympic gold medallist, Dame Kelly Holmes; former Scottish rugby union player, Kenny Logan and his wife, BBC sports presenter Gabby Logan; British wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft, and further sporting greats still to be announced.

Episodes are released every Tuesday, with different sporting stars and different questions created and spoken using Grid software.

Past episodes are available on BBC Sounds, listen today to hear Rob using his voice in Grid, as the latest podcaster using assistive technology.