Voice Recognition Technology Kathleen Kennedy COMP 1631 Winter 2010

What is Voice Recognition Technology? Voice Recognition Technology, also known as, speech recognition technology is a computer technology that uses audio as its input instead of a keyboard.

Voice Recognition Software The software designed to work with voice recognition has an internal database that includes a long list of possible words and phrases. The computer takes the audio input and matches it with the corresponding words or phrases found in the database.

Examples of Voice Recognition in our Everyday Lives Microphones Personal Dictation Devices Subtitling Call Routing Domotic Appliance Control Voice Dialing

How Does Voice Recognition Work? Step One The first step in voice recognition is the input and digitization of the audio sound. A microphone attached to a computer is the input device. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) takes the sound input and converts it into digital sound files that the computer program used for voice recognition can identify.

How Does Voice Recognition Work? Step Two In the second step the computer program then takes each of the digital sound files and transforms them into small “bits” of speech known as phonemes.

How Does Voice Recognition Work? Step Three The third step involves the computer program looking closely at the phonemes and putting them into context. It compares each string of phonemes to its memory bank of words and phrases. It then pairs up these phonemes with the appropriate words and phrases.

How Does Voice Recognition Work? Step Four In the fourth, and final step the voice recognition computer program displays the output of words and phrases onto the screen.

Language and Voice Recognition In order for computer programs to be able to analyze the voice input in the voice recognition computer program that specific language must be pre-programmed into the computer. The voice recognition program will be unable to output words onto the screen or follow the command given if the computer is not familiar with the language of the voice input.

Languages Recognized by Windows Vista US English UK English French Spanish German Japanese Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese

Alexander Graham Bell and Voice Recognition Without Alexander Graham Bell’s invention in 1870 voice recognition would not be where it is today. Alexander Graham Bell discovered how to convert sound, into electrical impulses. This allowed for further research into the scientific and mathematical area of speech comprehension.

Advancements in Voice Recognition Technology Following Bell’s earlier developments Bell Laboratories in the 1950’s were the first to develop a system for number recognition. In the 1970’s a speech understanding research project produced automatic speech recognition. This was a further development because it allowed for the recognition of speech as a whole and not just individual words.

Advancements in Voice Recognition Technology By the 1980’s there were two types of speech recognition systems available. The first was used for smaller vocabularies and the second, developed by IMB was used for larger vocabularies. The last two decades have been big for advancements in voice recognition technology. Technologies that have risen from this time period include: real-time, continuous speech systems that augment command, security, and content creation tasks with exceptionally high accuracy.

Disabilities and Voice Recognition Voice recognition is a useful tool for people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dysgraphia. Being able to say the words and see them appear on the screen can help many people with these disabilities to have a visual of the word as they are saying it.

Disabilities and Voice Recognition Many people who have difficulty using their hands benefit from voice recognition technologies. Being able to dictate their thoughts or feelings and have them type can help them with day to day activities as well as their jobs.

References Juang, B.H., and Lawrence R. Rabiner. "Automatic Speech Recognition – A Brief History of the Technology Development." Speech Recgonition. Georgia Institute of Technology, 8 Aug Web. 31 Jan Winslow, Lance. "Further Advances for Voice Recognition Applications." Ezine Articles. 24 Nov Web. 31 Jan Kayne, R. "What Is Voice Recognition?" Weblog post. Wise Geek. Ed. Niki Foster. Web. 31 Jan Matthews, James. "How Does Speech Recognition Work?" Generation Sept Web. 31 Jan "Speech Recognition." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Feb