In the 21st Century, we increasingly want to simplify the control
of the real things that affect our daily lives!
"Don't you feel it's just about time we could simply
talk with computers and get them to handle some of the everyday
house automation tasks - lights, doors, gates, curtains,
televisions, music and other domestic appliances? Or even make the
information super-highway slicker by talking with you and telling
you about the information you requested to be retrieved from the
web? Think of all the time and trouble you could save - no more
need to install yourself at a desk and fumble about with keyboard
and mouse. Well now you can!
Wouldn't this conversation scenario be so compelling?
User: "Computer, turn on hall lights"
Computer: "Hall lights on"
Well, read on, and by the end of this book you will have the
knowledge and detailed instruction on how you can control all of
the above of your own at very, very little cost.
This book details a project which will enable you to instruct your
computer using your voice and get it to control electrical devices,
tell you the time, check your share values, get the weather
forecast, etc. and speak it all back to you in a natural human
voice. It shows you the technology to interface with your computer
using voice.
Also, you will find that in using voice as an interface your
computer gains a novel persona of its own. On calling the name we
gave our computer, the machine listens furtively, responding
appropriately and politely acknowledging us using a preceding
phrase we gave it.
This book guides you through practical speech recognition, speech
annunciation and control of really useful "real world"
peripherals.
- Software is explained in depth and consists of short tasks in VB,
Perl and XML, interfacing with Microsoft SAPI and an
extraordinarily human-like voice (which was purchased). Some
software experience is desirable.
- Control hardware consists of a low cost mains I/O relay solution
which interfaces simply to the PC using USB - this was purchased,
although there is nothing to stop you developing your own solution.
Some experience with wiring and soldering is desireable.
If you are interested in the practical technology of interfacing
with machines using voice, such as talking with your own PC, then
this book is your guide.
Preface The Automotive Bus Systems A Brief History of Can The ISO/OSI Reference Model & CAN CAN Physical Layer CAN Bus Frames CAN Bus Error Conditions CAN Bus Timing CAN Bus Development Tools CAN Bus Controllers Microcontroller Based CAN Bus Projects On Board Diagnostics (OBD) Index.
