Current military/government applications for speech recognition

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of several military/government programs in which SCI Technology, Inc. has implemented and tested its speech recognition system. Included are: (1) the Speckled Trout (U.S. Air Force), (2) LHX (Light Helicopter Experimental, U.S. Army), (3) Space Shuttle (NASA), (4) Space Station, (5) AFTI F‐16, and (6) Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF). Some programs consist of technology demonstrations, while others involve flight testing, and one, Speckled Trout, operationally installing and utilizing a system on a continual basis. In some cases, the hardware consists of a SCI Voice Control Unit (VCU‐5137) and others, a Voice Development System (VDS‐7001). For example, the Space Station application consisted of implementing a VDS in a power system monitoring and switching network in which power switches and loads could be controlled by verbal commands. In another application, two VCUs have been delivered to NASA for future Shuttle flights in which the remote controlled cameras on board will be manipulated (switched, positioned, and focused) using speech, freeing the astronauts' hands for more manually oriented tasks such as controlling the mechanical arm in the cargo bay. The LHX applications included interrogating various on‐board systems (e.g., electrical, hydraulic, transmission) by speech commands and having the system status appear on video monitors. The Speckled Trout program is the first operational speech recognition system to be installed in an aircraft as an integral component of the aircraft's systems. Three VCUs are part of an integrated radio and navigational aides control system in which the system control can be either manual or by voice commands. However, since installation several months ago, the crew reports that radio control has been carried out almost exclusively by verbal commands. The AFTI F‐16 program includes integrating a VDS as part of a flight simulator for testing and evaluation. The ATF program has only recently started and will involve integration as part of an advanced cockpit. This paper will also discuss the evolutionary process that has proven essential to the successful application of speech recognition technology into military and governmental systems of the future.