ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of some of the different applications for speech technology, and focuses on the relationship between what is needed for these various applications and the capabilities of the technology. Speech technology performance does not yet approach human performance, but there are many tasks for which the technology is useful. When spoken messages are required, currently the main choice is between a text-to-speech (TTS) system and digitally recorded speech, possibly compressed using some speech coding algorithm. Speech synthesis can be used to provide spoken warnings in emergencies. Spoken warnings are especially useful in eyes-busy, stressful environments where visual warnings may go unnoticed. A specialized but very useful application of TTS synthesis is to provide remote access to e-mail from any fixed or mobile telephone. The term “command and control” is used to refer to applications in which a person uses simple voice commands to control functions of a machine.
