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Voice I/O for hands-free data input
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The term “Voice I/O” is used in industry to describe devices that permit users to input data into an instrument, controller or computer using speech, rather than a keyboard or a mouse. Information is output by a computer generated or prerecorded voice, as opposed to a terminal display or hard copy print out.
Frequently, voice I/O is used to complement or entirely replace bar code and keyboard technologies resulting in greater accuracies and higher speeds.
Currently voice I/O in manufacturing is used in environments where the user’s eyes or hands are too busy with the task at hand to efficiently or effectively input data through a keyboard, mouse, or other common input device. Several examples help to illustrate the usefulness of voice I/O:
During the manufacture of printed circuit boards and semiconductor wafer, each chip or circuit is inspected for defects through a high power microscope. The inspector notes any defects along with brief comments as to their nature and likely source. Using I/O saves the labor costs of transcription, and allows the operator to maintain peak visual concentration, improving throughput.
Transportation and delivery companies use multiple voice recognizers in their package sorting and baggage operations. Operators state the destination of each item as it arrives, rather than keying it into a terminal.
Operations are speeded because users can move items while speaking into the system.
Package delivery companies use I/O for tracking packages. Each time a package enters a warehouse, its presence is recorded by voice I/O equipped handlers who read manifest numbers into the package handling system. The company immediately knows a package’s location at any time.
The Army uses conversational voice I/O to catalog and track small weapons.
Boeng uses conversational voice I/O equipment for quality control inspections of aircraft components, particularly wings and fuselage.The airframe components have very strict quality requirements which are most efficiently handled by voice I/O. As an inspector examines airframe components,
other irregularities are recorded immediately into a central system. This saves time and reduces errors, while letting the inspector concentrate more closely on the aircraft inspection.
A major appliance manufacturer uses voice I/O factory floor data collection applications in which quality control, material movement, and manufacturing flow information is reported as it is detected, resulting in higher overall product quality and productivity. The company also uses it for parts distribution. Workers enter data to generate labels for incoming goods without having to look away from the goods to write.
Other key industrial applications include equipment control, security, inventory control, production line and quality assurance control and materials handling.
6. Find in the text English equivalents of the following words:
Вводить данные, клавиатура, голосовое устройство, мышь, драйвер, замещать, большая точность, склад, система обработки моделей, оружие,
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самолет, строгий контроль качества, требования, дефекты, приводить к …., производительность, основное промышленное применение,
производственнаялиния, гарантиякачества.
7. Make suitable questions to the following sentences, so that the sentences would be the answers the questions:
1. During the manufacture of the printed circuit boards each chip or circuit is inspected for defects. (What kind of ………)
2. Package delivery companies use voice I/O for tracking packages. (What for …..)
3. The company immediately knows a package’s location at any time. (How quickly….)
4. The Army uses conventional voice I/O to catalog and track small weapons. (Where….)
5. The airframe components have very strict quality control requirements. (What…)
6. As the inspector examines airframe components defects and other irregularities are recorded immediately into a central system. (What …..)
7. Major appliance manufacturer uses voice I/O in factory floor data collection applications. (Who…)
8. TranslateintoEnglish:
1. Термин «голосовое устройство ввода,вывода данных» используется в промышленности, обозначая ввод данных посредством голоса, а не клавиатуры.
2. Голосовое устройство ввода, вывода используется вместо клавиатуры.
3, Компании по транспортировке и доставке используют опознаватели голоса в операциях по сортировке и обработке багажа.
4. В армии голосовые устройства ввода, вывода служат для регистрации и отслеживания оружия.
5. В авиации новое голосовое устройство помогает проверять корпус самолета с целью обнаружения дефектов и поломок.
6ю Новая система экономит время и снижает количество ошибок, при этом позволяя инспектору более внимательно концентрироваться на изучении проблемы.
7. В числе промышленного применения нового устройства следует отметить такие как, управление оборудованием, безопасность, инвентаризационный контроль, а также управление производством и процессом обработки материалов.
9. Look through the text again and speak on the following points:
a) Why are the voice I/O devices so important today? What are their advantages?
b) What is the principle of operation of the new device?
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c) What functions can the I/O system perform?
d) In what fields of industry is the system used most effectively?
10.Read text B. Be ready to answer the following questions:
1. Which technologies can make work with information easier?
2. What is an “object”?
3. What is the way of working with an object?
4. What companies work on networks operation updating?
5. Are there any examples of “objects” applications in the text?
6. What is an “agent” and what is its function?
7. Could you give the examples of an“agent” work?
DENIZEN OF THE NET
At some point, most networks sink under their own complexity. Any personal computer user will know how hard it is to keep track of all the information on his hard disk, and to remember how to make his word processor, spreadsheet and other software work together. With networks, that complexity grows exponentially. Two technologies that can help tame the mess are “objects” and “agents”.
An object, or object-oriented software, to use the full name, is information that knows what can be done with itself. To edit a conventional electronic document, for example, a person must find the appropriate word processor, start up and set to work. But with an object, the person sends the object a message to find its own word processor, start it up and get ready to be edited.
This may not sound like much, but amid the complexity of large networks and compound documents (which contain, say, spreadsheets which must be updated as well as to be edited) even a little help can enable people to do a lot more work. So all of the big computer companies including Microsoft, Apple, and IBM are working on the standards that will enable objects to communicate with each other in simple ways to help tame networks.
One of the more ambitious applications of objects comes from Lloyd’s of London, an international insurance market. The forms that need to be filled out to buy or
sell insurance are nightmare. They must cover highly specialized risks ranging
from a sinking boat to burning building, and they must meet different regulations in just about every market they are sold in. About third are typically filled in wrong. So Lloyd’s staff is working to build objects that can automatically check to see that the right information has been entered for whatever risk is being insured.
Agents are objects that don’t wait to be told what to do. They have their own goals, and wander about networks, hopping from machine, working on behalf of their masters, who are off doing other jobs.
One exemplary agent is being created by John Evans of News Data Corporation, part of the News Corp. empire. Mr. Evans hopes eventually to sell an agent, named Oliver after his dog. This intelligent agent knows enough about travel and travel databases to retrieve automatically, for example,a list of all flights from London to San Francisco on July 31st– so doing the simplest, and most time-consuming part of the job that a human travel agent does.
TEXT C
Read text C without consulting a dictionary. Be ready to answer the following questions:
1. What is the Internet?
2. Why is the Internet expanding so fast?
3. What three types of connection should be mentioned while speaking about the Internet?
4. What is the purpose of the Internet? Give examples.
5. What was the Internet invented for and by whom?
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