Abstract

Speech technology is becoming increasingly important in both personal and enterprise computing where it is used to improve existing user interfaces and to support new means of human interaction with computers. Speech technology can allow hands-free use of computers and support access to many computing facilities away from the desk and over the telephone. The VoiceXML-activity of the W3C will allow voice over the Internet or intranets to access speech capabilities on the user's machine. This will provide the ability to enhance www sites with speech and support new ways of browsing. However, VoiceXML requires a high performance method for recognition of Phonemes. In this project a novel time domain approach, which will result in vastly improved speech recognition will be implemented. “To some degree, speech recognition has reached the point at which increasing recognition accuracy from the current rate of 95 to 98% will require a quantum leap in recognition technology.” /N. Cravotta:VoiceXML distributes voice to the masses. EDN EUROPE; January 2002, p29-33/

The RecoPhone satisfies many of the requirements of Framework 6. It will “contribute to strengthening European scientific and technological excellence /E1/. It aims to increase innovation and competitiveness in European businesses and industry and to contribute to greater benefits for all European citizens.” /E2/. Europe has many different countries and even more different languages. However, the phonemes of different languages, and especially the methods for recognition of phonemes by information technologies are nearly the same. RecoPhone with very high accuracy for the recognition of phonemes for different languages will be an important bridge to draw together the people of Europe.

The Research activities in RecoPhone “will focus on the future generation of technologies in which computers and networks will be integrated into the everyday environment, rendering accessible a multitude of services and applications through easy to- use human interfaces”/E2/. Another focus of RecoPhone “is on ‘ambient intelligence’ for a broader inclusion of citizens in the Information Society” /E2/. The objectives of RecoPhone include improvements to the performance, cost-efficiency, functionality and adaptive capabilities of communications and computing technologies. Work will also lead to the next generation Internet.

An objective of RecoPhone is to stimulate radically new content and media services and applications.” /E2/

The development and the first applications of this method will open a broad field of further IST research and applications: RecoPhone will be a Future and Emerging Technology to “nurture invention, creativity, and bright spark ideas.”

Essential Technologies and Infrastructures address the convergence of information processing, communications and networking technologies and infrastructures by using natural speech. European competitiveness in a knowledge-based economy is an increasingly important issue and is very evident in the plans for the 6th Framework Programme. The RecoPhone initiative is strongly driven by SME involvement and sees its market as world-wide, though the test bed for development is Europe in the first instance. RecoPhone will contribute to Europe’s competitiveness by its own cutting edge technological development. The development is in relation to (1) the citizen by a new quality of communication between citizens and monitoring devices, (2) the use of natural communication with computers to provide the flexibility to be free from many existing constraints on both working methods and organisation, including those imposed by distance, time and language. It will allow future e-work systems, organisations and e-business. (3) the development in Europe of a new generation of electronic and mobile devices with natural speech interactions. (4) Multimedia Content and Tools by new communication between user and computer by internet communication, search machines with natural speech interfaces.