How To Build A Speech Recognition Application

Robust Speech Recognition in Embedded Systems and PC Applications provides a link between the technology and the application worlds. As speech recognition technology is now good enough for a number of applications and the core technology is well established around hidden Markov models many of the differences between systems found in the field are related to implementation variants. We distinguish between embedded systems and PC-based applications. Embedded applications are usually cost sensitive and require very simple and optimized methods to be viable. Robust Speech Recognition in Embedded Systems and PC Applications reviews the problems of robust speech recognition, summarizes the current state of the art of robust speech recognition while providing some perspectives, and goes over the complementary technologies that are necessary to build an application, such as dialog and user interface technologies. Robust Speech Recognition in Embedded Systems and PC Applications is divided into five chapters. The first one reviews the main difficulties encountered in automatic speech recognition when the type of communication is unknown. The second chapter focuses on environment-independent/adaptive speech recognition approaches and on the mainstream methods applicable to noise robust speech recognition. The third chapter discusses several critical technologies that contribute to making an application usable. It also provides some design recommendations on how to design prompts, generate user feedback and develop speech user interfaces. The fourth chapter reviews several techniques that are particularly useful for embedded systems or to decrease computational complexity. It also presents some case studies for embedded applications and PC-based systems. Finally, the fifth chapter provides a future outlook for robust speech recognition, emphasizing the areas that the author sees as the most promising for the future. Robust Speech Recognition in Embedded Systems and PC Applications serves as a valuable reference and although not intended as a formal University textbook, contains some material that can be used for a course at the graduate or undergraduate level. It is a good complement for the book entitled Robustness in Automatic Speech Recognition: Fundamentals and Applications co-authored by the same author.

A project-based book that teaches beginning Python programmers how to build working, useful, and fun voice-controlled applications. This fun, hands-on book will take your basic Python skills to the next level as you build voice-controlled apps to use in your daily life. Starting with a Python refresher and an introduction to speech-recognition/text-to-speech functionalities, you’ll soon ease into more advanced topics, like making your own modules and building working voice-controlled apps. Each chapter scaffolds multiple projects that allow you to see real results from your code at a manageable pace, while end-of-chapter exercises strengthen your understanding of new concepts. You’ll design interactive games, like Connect Four and Tic-Tac-Toe, and create intelligent computer opponents that talk and take commands; you’ll make a real-time language translator, and create voice-activated financial-market apps that track the stocks or cryptocurrencies you are interested in. Finally, you’ll load all of these features into the ultimate virtual personal assistant – a conversational VPA that tells jokes, reads the news, and gives you hands-free control of your email, browser, music player, desktop files, and more. Along the way, you’ll learn how to: ● Build Python modules, implement animations, and integrate live data into an app ● Use web-scraping skills for voice-controlling podcasts, videos, and web searches ● Fine-tune the speech recognition to accept a variety of input ● Associate regular tasks like opening files and accessing the web with speech commands ● Integrate functionality from other programs into a single VPA with computational knowledge engines to answer almost any question Packed with cross-platform code examples to download, practice activities and exercises, and explainer images, you’ll quickly become proficient in Python coding in general and speech recognition/text to speech in particular.

Most people have experienced an automated speech-recognition system when calling a company. Instead of prompting callers to choose an option by entering numbers, the system asks questions and understands spoken responses. With a more advanced application, callers may feel as if they're having a conversation with another person. Not only will the system respond intelligently, its voice even has personality. The Art and Business of Speech Recognition examines both the rapid emergence and broad potential of speech-recognition applications. By explaining the nature, design, development, and use of such applications, this book addresses two particular needs: Business managers must understand the competitive advantage that speech-recognition applications provide: a more effective way to engage, serve, and retain customers over the phone. Application designers must know how to meet their most critical business goal: a satisfying customer experience. Author Blade Kotelly illuminates these needs from the perspective of an experienced, business-focused practitioner. Among the diverse applications he's worked on, perhaps his most influential design is the flight-information system developed for United Airlines, about which Julie Vallone wrote in Investor's Business Daily "By the end of the conversation, you might want to take the voice to dinner." If dinner is the analogy, this concise book is an ideal first course. Managers will learn the potential of speech-recognition applications to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, enhance the company brand, and even grow revenues. Designers, especially those just beginning to work in the voice domain, will learn user-interface design principles and techniques needed to develop and deploy successful applications. The examples in the book are real, the writing is accessible and lucid, and the solutions presented are attainable today. 0321154924B12242002

Build great voice apps of any complexity for any domain by learning both the how's and why's of voice development. In this book you’ll see how we live in a golden age of voice technology and how advances in automatic speech recognition (ASR), natural language processing (NLP), and related technologies allow people to talk to machines and get reasonable responses. Today, anyone with computer access can build a working voice app. That democratization of the technology is great. But, while it’s fairly easy to build a voice app that runs, it's still remarkably difficult to build a great one, one that users trust, that understands their natural ways of speaking and fulfills their needs, and that makes them want to return for more. We start with an overview of how humans and machines produce and process conversational speech, explaining how they differ from each other and from other modalities. This is the background you need to understand the consequences of each design and implementation choice as we dive into the core principles of voice interface design. We walk you through many design and development techniques, including ones that some view as advanced, but that you can implement today. We use the Google development platform and Python, but our goal is to explain the reasons behind each technique such that you can take what you learn and implement it on any platform. Readers of Mastering Voice Interfaces will come away with a solid understanding of what makes voice interfaces special, learn the core voice design principles for building great voice apps, and how to actually implement those principles to create robust apps. We’ve learned during many years in the voice industry that the most successful solutions are created by those who understand both the human and the technology sides of speech, and that both sides affect design and development. Because we focus on developing task-oriented voice apps for real users in the real world, you’ll learn how to take your voice apps from idea through scoping, design, development, rollout, and post-deployment performance improvements, all illustrated with examples from our own voice industry experiences. What You Will Learn Create truly great voice apps that users will love and trust See how voice differs from other input and output modalities, and why that matters Discover best practices for designing conversational voice-first applications, and the consequences of design and implementation choices Implement advanced voice designs, with real-world examples you can use immediately. Verify that your app is performing well, and what to change if it doesn't Who This Book Is For Anyone curious about the real how’s and why’s of voice interface design and development. In particular, it's aimed at teams of developers, designers, and product owners who need a shared understanding of how to create successful voice interfaces using today's technology. We expect readers to have had some exposure to voice apps, at least as users.

This second edition of The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook provides an updated, comprehensive overview of the most important research in the field, including insights that are directly applicable throughout the process of developing effective interactive information technologies. It features cutting-edge advances to the scientific

Speech Recognition Applications: The Basics and Beyond provides step-by-step directions for getting started with speech recognition software. It also provides instruction in developing the basic speech recognition skills needed to dictate, correct, edit and format a variety of documents. Exercises are included for navigating the Internet by voice and creating e-mails; using Microsoft Word to create letters, reports, tables and macros; and using Microsoft Excel for creating spreadsheets. The unique design of this book offers a perfect training solution for students, teachers, and business professionals. It offers easy to follow lessons with step-by step directions and many screen shots and tips. The exercises will help you learn how to use speech recognition as a daily input device and will help you improve your overall speed and accuracy. Speech recognition technology has made numerous advancements over the past decade and has become easier to use and much more efficient. Speech recognition software is now being used by more and more individuals in a wide variety of industries and professional careers every day! Get a head start with this training manual today.

Filled with advice and hints on how to select speech-recognition products and build applications, this book offers an unbiased treatment of speech-recognition technology, vendors, and future outlook.