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To interact with computerised systems and machines there are human machine interfaces (HMI) in use. Depending on the application of these systems different HMIs enabled the access to the machine in the past. These HMIs were optimised for the specific tasks but the disadvantage was that operators had to learn how to handle all the different HMIs they had to work with. With the advent of Windows as standardised HMI for the PC nearly all other HMIs in the industry changed to Windows based or at least Windows looking human machine interfaces. This simplified the operation of the various production systems on the manufacturing floor because the operators were used to handle their PCs in the office. They now can operate PCs and production systems in a similar way.
But human beings interact with other human beings via language and not via any kind of interface. To enable humans to interact with computer controlled systems via their language researchers and specialists are working since approx. 30 years to create speech recognition systems. And they did succeed: nowadays speech recognition systems are matured and used in various applications. A good example is the navigation system in a car which is more and more controlled by the voice of the driver - other functions like telephone and radio as well. Speech control of these functions increases the security dramatically because the driver can concentrate on the traffic - he or she has not to look at the navigation systems and press buttons or touch the screen to operate it.
Navigation systems are by far not the only application in which speech control is used nowadays. You can buy mobile phones which does not require any longer to dial the number " you talk to the phone and advice it the name of the person you want to call and youll be connected. Homes for seniors or disabled persons are equipped with speech control to operate for example shutters, TV, and telephone. Surgeons are able to control the light intensity in the operating theatre by voice. If you call civil services, banks, or insurances youll realise that there are more and more computer voices to answer your questions or requests. In Germany customers of Postbank are able to remit money, ask for the position of account and so on by a phone call. Pilots of the Eurofighter can talk to their "bird" to give it instructions. To write text its not necessary any longer to type in the text into a computer " via speech recognition software you can dictate it to the machine.
And thats not the end! Price erosions, miniaturisation, and increasingly advanced systems open up new applications. Due to experts speech recognition systems will be in near future as omnipresent as the Internet nowadays. Therefore there is a huge market potential for these systems. Due to market research firm Datamonitor the world market for speech recognition systems will grow from 688 $ in 2008 to 1109 $ in 2010. In Europe Great Britain and Germany are the largest markets for these systems. Despite the fact that navigation systems and artificial voices at the phone are the drivers for this technology maybe we will find speech recognition soon on the factory floor as well. Taking the safety aspect into account a spoken "stop" to stop a machine can increase safety. You can say this "stop" where ever you are in the production hall and don't have to move to the emergency Off-Switch. Even if this distance is short it can take too long to avoid damage. So, lets talk to the machine! Maybe in the far future a worker will say "Good morning, John" (nickname of the drilling machine he is working with) when he comes to work in the morning and the drilling machine will answer accordingly and start a small talk.
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