A bit of reading practice Computer and spoken word

Current computers insist that you do things their way. Using a computer device requires that you accommodate yourself to how the computer works and constantly monitor the input process. This is quite unnatural and, for most people and applications, re­quires too much effort.

Useful voice technology is available now, if you are willing to compromise on certain capabilities. When considering products, however, you should remember that almost every desirable capa­bility (e.g., speaker independence, continuous speech, and rejec­tion) also degrades the accuracy of the system. You might want to think twice about whether your application needs all those fancy capabilities.

Most major computer manufacturers recognize that accessi­ble voice input is the next frontier in interface technology.

The trend in voice interfacing is toward systems that possess more and more of the characteristics of a human listener. These systems will let you realize the full potential of voice-based com­munication with your computer.

Voice technology is used in microcomputers for purpose other than speech recognition or understanding. Its most prevalent use is for vice annotations and voice mail, as well as for synthe­sized speech output.

Some systems let you record a spoken message in digitized form on the machine. You can then send a message as E-mail to someone else who has a workstation with playback capability. In that respect, voice mail can function much like an answering machine.

UNIT 4

Another use of voice-interface technology currently gaining popularity is voice annotation for documents. This can take the form of spoken comment inserted into the document at text loca­tions you specify.

Voice interfaces are not limited to character-based computers. One interesting application area involves the integration of voice technology with telephones, visual interfaces, fax machines, and voice таД.

Mobile phones can also contain voice-dialing capabilities (such product, for example, is sold by Motorola). In general, these systems are not as sophisticated as some of the workstation-based technologies, but they are perfectly adequate. They let you store a spoken list of names in the phone, each with associated telephone number. Then, using voice commands, the phone will dial the ap­propriate number based on the spoken name.

Another successful application of voice interfacing is in con­trolling robotic systems. In hospitals, voice commands can control the position of patient beds.

In laboratories, voice commands can control the magnifica­tion and position of large microscopes, scanners, or other optical equipment. In such «eyes busy» situations, voice technology pro­vides a significant edge.

In typical «eyes busy» or «hand busy» situations, voice tech­nology can successfully save labor.

Another area where small time savings translate into large dollar amounts is in the medical field. Several intensive efforts are under way to use voice interfaces to aid doctors and nurses. In this case medical reporting follows a highly standardized format, in which a limited vo­cabulary is sufficient to account for almost all situations.

It's almost impossible to exhaust the question about all the possibilities of voice technology applications. Maybe you'll help us. Stir up your imagination!

1. Read and try to understand the given above text.

2. What do you think of voice technology? Is the game worth the candle?

3. Do you know any examples of voice technology applications?

Thanks so much for your hard work! Now loose up!

Taking Computer for Granted

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 988