Entering schedules and assignments into a computer can be tedious — especially when the act interrupts a conversation.

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology hope to augment users’ memories with three prototype handheld computer applications that tap keywords from conversations. The user only has to hold down a button on his handheld to signal that the system should record and transcribe his words.

The Calendar Navigator Agent uses a microphone and voice recognition software on a wearable system to capture the user’s conversation for keywords that have to do with scheduling. It can, for instance, pull up a handheld computer’s calendar application and open an appropriate page when the conversation turns to days and times. Pressing an undo button reverses erroneous entries.

DialogTabs captures segments of a conversation as a memory aid.

And Speech Courier sends recorded audio and transcribed text to a designated email address. This allows a user to capture a portion of a conversation that indicates that a task should be done and assign the task to someone else.

The researchers’ system protects privacy by only using speech from the user’s side of the conversation.

For limited domains like calendaring, the technique could be used in practical applications in two to five years.

Via Technology Research News.
PDF presenting the projects.