From: mash@mips.com (John Mashey)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Voice Recog. on Desktop
Date: 9 Apr 1992 21:15:49 GMT
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: winchester.mips.com

In article <1992Apr09.135834.15056@eng.umd.edu> sysmgr@king.eng.umd.edu writes:
>How many years before speech recognition is a stock "feature" and bundled/wired
>into the OS? 

>I'm thinking it's going to take 2-3 years for first solutions, and another 1-2
>on top of that before we have "good" solutions. 

>Speech recognitizion solutions do exist today, but they're not "mainstream" and
>cost much bucks, when compared to the cost of a PC....

1) I have a Voice Navigator on a Mac at home, and it's OK; it's on an
old MacPlus, so that's a bit slow.

2) I've seen demoes (like from Command Corp) with UNIX/Motif.

For a typical PC or workstation, both have a board of electronics
with DSPs + some software that:
	a) Accepts training
	b) Converts what you say into menu selections or other actions

Hence, you say to the machine FILE SAVE  or STYLE ITALIC, etc,
or for graphics input, instead of moving the mouse to select from a palette
of graphics objects, you keep your hands still, and say SQUARE or LINE or
CIRCLE.

All of this is speaker-dependent recognition; training doesn't seem to
take too long; you generally say which person you are, so that different
people can use the machine.  This is usually for unconnected speech,
although some seem to be able to pick words out of continuous speech at
least somewhat.  {Speaker-independent is *much* harder of course.}

3) Newer processors may well be fast enough to do the DSP-work in
the main CPU, hence avoiding the need for a separate board.  If the
standard machine is spec'd to include reasonable audio input and output,
and the base machine is fast enough, there's no reason that you won't
be seeing this kind of software much more widely within the next
2 years, on the desk. [As it happens, ACE ARC-machines have these properties.]

4) Within 2 years, I think it is also reasonable to expect widespread use of
notebook computers with CPUs fast enough to do this.  [Whether or not the
audio will also be small/cheap enough to be built-in isn't something I know
offhand.]

Now, *this* is just what we need :-)  Just think,
the frequent flyer gang gets on the plane, pulls out their inflatable
headrests, then takes out their computers *and talk to them the whole flight*.

For a near-term example, somebody is selling a voice-controlled
audio system for your car ["EJECT", "REWIND", "AM", etc].  Seemed OK, although
could only handle 1 person without retraining; I'm sure that will get
fixed, like the way some cars remember 2 seat positions for you.

Some of these things could be smoother in terms of training and re-training<
but there's already enough to be interesting.
Anyway, I think we've already got first solutions, and pretty good
solutions are no more than 1-2 years away.
-- 
-john mashey	DISCLAIMER: <generic disclaimer, I speak for me only, etc>
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Newsgroups: comp.arch