Issue 133 August 2001
Listening Chips

Start • In The Realm Of The Sensory • Lip Reader • Walk The Talk • Soft Sounds • Yak Attack • Hearing Aid • Sources & PDF

HEARING AID

Putting misguided QWERTY-killer aspirations aside, VE represents an incremental boost in voice recognition performance, cost, and ease of design. Yes, it’s far from the mythical automatic stenographer, but many practical voice recognition apps probably are best served by the VE solution.

Just remember to keep it simple. Don’t require or expect users to enjoy long-winded repartee with some embedded gadget. I want a chip that acts like a servant, not a cross between HAL and a psychiatrist.

Also, just because our brains do a good job of filtering it out, don’t overlook the fact that we live in a noisy world. Think twice before you trigger a significant real-world event based on something a chip overhears. Drive-by voice system? I don’t think so.