Vocal Joystick Software Helps Disabled Surf the Web
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 10/17/2007

While the Internet offers valuable information for people with disabilities,
many of those people cannot use a handheld mouse to surf the Web. Researchers
at the University of Washington have developed software that provides an
alternative using the oldest mode of communication: the human voice. The
Vocal Joystick software is an alternative to brain-computer interfaces, and
detects sounds 100 times per second. It instantaneously turns that sound into
movement on the screen. 

Different vowel sounds dictate movement of the cursor in one of eight
directions. Users can transition smoothly from one vowel to another, and
louder sounds make the cursor move faster. The sounds "k" and "ch" simulate
clicking and releasing the mouse buttons. There are versions of Vocal
Joystick software for browsing the Web, drawing on a screen, controlling a
cursor, and playing a video game. A version that operates a robotic arm could
be used to control an electronic wheelchair. 

Current head-tracking and eye-tracking devices require neck movement and
expensive hardware. Vocal Joystick requires only a microphone, a computer
with a standard sound card, and a user who can produce vocal sounds. Early
tests show that an experienced user of Vocal Joystick would have as much
control as someone using a handheld device. 

Future research will incorporate more advanced controls that use more aspects
of the human voice, such as repeated vocalizations, vibrato, degree of
nasality, and trills. 

Read the article at:
http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=37134

Links:
Vocal Joystick
http://ssli.ee.washington.edu/vj/

Vocal Joystick for Computer Interaction
http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2007/10/vocal_joystick_for_computer_interaction.html

Vocal Joystick for accessibility
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/09/vocal-joystick-for-a.html

Vocal Joystick Uses Voice Input
http://www.ddj.com/web-development/202400850?cid=RSSfeed_DDJ_WebDevelopment

Jeffrey Bilmes
http://ssli.ee.washington.edu/people/bilmes/

Generating 'Oohs' And 'Aahs': Vocal Joystick Uses Voice to Surf the Internet
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009131947.htm