torkil@psivax.UUCP (Torkil Hammer) (04/01/89)
Move over, Motorola! Scientists here are proud to announce the biggest quantum leap in telephone technology since touch tone: The fully automatic voice exchange. As of now, you have to memorize 10 digit plus numbers besides the names of your friends. Also, you have to remember access codes and, worst of all, a one digit mistake can land you in Japan instead of Iowa. Wouldn't it be easier if all what you need to know is the name of your friend? After all, names were meant for people, numbers for computers. Just type in the name and let the chips work whatever makes them happy. We did that, and beat it once more: Keyboards were meant for computers, too. People prefer to use their hearing and voice. So our system works like this: You lift the handset, turn a little handle, after which our automatic voice exchange starts up by saying: "Who do you want to speak to?" You say the name, and the automaton translates that to the digits the switches need and dial those digits. It resolves the problem of duplicate names by asking for as much of an address it needs. And address is in terms of street, number and city, state and country, not arcane octal computerese. The automaton can be programmed to any human language and can even tell you the time and weather. The real feat is the packaging. Completely selfcontained and on the average 115 pounds per unit. The manufacturing process is easy, too: Each automaton can be manufactured by unskilled labor in just 3 quarters of a year, and they appear to enjoy the manufacturing process. It takes somewhat longer time to program it to do all the tasks we have defined with room for several more, such as programming itself and manufacturing more automatons. This could start an entire new trend in computing. Chips become obsolete. Ada, Basic, C, and Fortran go the way of dinosaurs. Computing to be done entirely in human languages as early as year 2000. You may never more have to face a hex dump or an Abend. Just decimal data and human language statements like: "It can't be done, boss". Brave new world is here today. torkil
mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun) (04/03/89)
In article <2586@psivax.UUCP> torkil@psivax.UUCP (Torkil Hammer) writes:
<Move over, Motorola!
<Scientists here are proud to announce the biggest quantum leap in
<telephone technology since touch tone: The fully automatic voice exchange.
[several lines deleted]
<So our system works like this: You lift the handset, turn a little
<handle, after which our automatic voice exchange starts up by saying:
<"Who do you want to speak to?" You say the name, and the automaton
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
But the one I used said "Operator".
--
Myron A. Calhoun, PhD EE, W0PBV, (913) 532-6350 (work), 539-4448 (home).
INTERNET: mac@ksuvax1.cis.ksu.edu
BITNET: mac@ksuvax1.bitnet
UUCP: ...{rutgers, texbell}!ksuvax1!harry!mactsn@neoucom.UUCP (Tom Napoletano) (04/11/89)
Innovative Devices of Santa Clara makes a voice recognition dialer/phone that retails for $200. It is based on the 6502 with 64k RAM and 32k ROM. It must be trained to your voice and has a capacity of 100 names with 200 numbers (2 numbers for each name, ie home/work). The entire package is smaller than the standard 2500 desk phone and from my experience works well. Granted this is not a full exchange, however, you can get a taste of things to come. tom