LipReader UK

Our Mission & Laryngectomy Origin

LipReader UK was created to give a voice back to individuals who are mute, non-verbal, or unable to speak vocally. The inspiration for this web application came directly after a close family member underwent a laryngectomy surgery (surgical removal of the larynx). Witnessing the intense daily frustration of vocal loss drove the development of an accessible, web-based visual lip reader.

Our mission is to keep this online lip reader 100% accessible to everyone worldwide with a free tier, hands-free automation, and zero paywalls for core communication.

Strict Privacy & Instant Video Deletion

We understand that video data is deeply personal. When you record your lip movements, video snippets are securely transmitted to our AI inference pipeline. All video files are processed in-memory and are instantly deleted from our servers the exact millisecond the text transcript is generated. We do not store, save, sell, or train public AI models on your facial video data.

Hands-Free Accessibility & Controls

For users with motor impairment or physical speech limitations, LipReader UK features real-time hands-free camera control using MediaPipe landmark tracking:

• Eye Wink Detection: Holding a single-eye wink for 0.7s automatically triggers speech recording and stops it.
• Open Hand Detection: Raising an open palm for 0.7s triggers and stops recording hands-free.
• Push-to-Talk: Press and hold the main microphone button for quick single messages.
• Multi-Language Speech Output: Automated translation into English, Turkish, Spanish, French, and German with localised or ElevenLabs neural speech.