Speech Technology - June 2008 - (Page 13) > > N E W S > > T R E N D S > > A N A LY S I S > > N E W S > > T R E N D S > > A N A LY S I S under-the-radar speech news // BY RYAN JOE The speech-related developments spotlighted in this column don’t quite warrant a full news story, but they’re still too eccentric for us to pass up. In the spirit of doing more with a cell phone, Afghan inventor Hanif Molavizadeh developed for his workshop a burglar alarm rigged to his mobile and an AK-47 assault rifle. Here’s how it works: When motion detectors outside of his workshop sense intruder activity, the system calls Molavizadeh’s cell phone and an automated voice warns him of the situation. Molavizadeh can, if he chooses, talk to the intruder via an integrated intercom system or he can remotely fire the assault rifle and pretty much ventilate the would-be burglar. In March, Molavizadeh forgot to unload the weapon while testing his system and sent a bullet through his neighbor’s window and off his wall. The neighbor, a police officer, was less than pleased, but another neighbor asked Molavizadeh to create for him a similar, if lesslethal, home security system. This story was originally reported by NPR. If, however, you prefer an automated home service (i.e., slave) robot, Paris-based Aldebaran Robotics is developing an automaton for its Project Nao initiative. Though still a few years away from public delivery, the robot features speech recognition, speech synthesis, and a face that mimics human emotions (“Dave, are you trying to shut me down? Dave?”) Aldebaran uses Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio software, which is available The Applied Voice Input/Output Society Where speech professionals in technology, marketing and management gather to network and exchange relevant information on all aspects of the speech recognition industry. Whether your focus is on the underlying speech science, the business application of the technology or the impact of speech recognition on the caller experience, your AVIOS membership can be a forum for: • shared experience • education • resources and networking • knowledge AVIOS has been recognized for over 25 years of pioneering leadership and is active in the promotion of speech at industry forums such as SpeechTEK. Become a part of a growing number of professionals that have benefited from the resources and shared knowledge in speech recognition that are available. For more information on how to join the organization that is shaping an industry, visit www.avios.org. Aldebaran Robotics’ Project Nao robot gets ready for action. as a free download. As of press time, 200,000 copies had already been downloaded, according to Microsoft. Developers are continuously working on the design; Microsoft is still working to leverage vision, navigation, speech, and sound technologies into the software. Fortunately, selfdestruct capabilities are not in the blueprints. www.speechtechmag.com http://www.worldlyvoices.com http://www.avios.org http://www.avios.org http://www.speechtechmag.com
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