speech recognition
Converts spoken language into text. Enables machines to accept voice as input, a key interface for human-AI interaction.
4 milestones
CIMON Launched to the International Space Station
In June 2018, DLR, Airbus, and IBM launched CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion), a spherical, voice-controlled AI assistant, to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX CRS-15. It was designed to support ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst with procedural tasks and reduce cognitive workload.
Kirobo Robot Launched to the International Space Station
In August 2013, a consortium comprising the University of Tokyo, Toyota Motor Corporation, Dentsu Inc., and JAXA launched Kirobo, a small humanoid robot capable of speech recognition and natural-language conversation, to the International Space Station aboard HTV-4 to serve as a conversational companion for Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.
Apple Releases Siri with iPhone 4S
On 4 October 2011, Apple announced Siri as an integrated feature of the iPhone 4S, making a conversational voice assistant, capable of natural-language queries, task execution, and third-party service calls, available to a mass consumer audience for the first time at that scale.
WABOT-2 Humanoid Robot Demonstrated at Waseda University
In 1984, researchers at Waseda University in Japan completed WABOT-2, a humanoid robot capable of reading printed musical scores, communicating with a human performer via speech, and playing an electronic organ using its fingers and foot pedals at a level comparable to an average adult pianist.