ABSTRACT
The capabilities and use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) have increased dramatically since the first commercial devices appeared in the early 1970’s. ASR has been successfully implemented, for example, in industrial inspection, avionics, postal sorting and computer aided design. It allows increased mobility around the work area and hands-or eyes-free operation. For example, in an avionics application, by shifting workload from the visual modality to the auditory, a pilot can maintain his gaze out of the cockpit while simultaneously giving commands to his system. Other advantages of speech over alternative forms of input include reduced cognitive demands and the relative ease in training users.
