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..and Heidi said, "Change the heat to 74 degrees." to which
her home replied, "Heat adjusted to 74 degrees" Heidi's only requirement was that she wanted a system that works. ... the Smart Housekeeper uses Verbex's Listen for Windows 3.0. Verbex employs an exceptional continuous speech recognition engine. The system does not need to recognize each discrete word within a phrase to figure out what you're trying to say. In fact, many times, you can mis-speak the phrase and The Smart Housekeeper will still execute your intentions. |
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Heidi has
survived just fine without speech recognition, but she does appreciate it just the same.
The first time I met Heidi Van Arnem was when I showed her how I could command my home
using continuously spoken phrases. Heidi lost her mobility at age 16 by a gunshot wound to
her neck rendering her a quadriplegic. It was after many years of living with her own
physical limitations that Heidi began an effort to help other people dealing with
disabilities. Today, Heidi owns and operates her own business and takes care of herself
quite well. When you're in the room with Heidi, you forget that she has any disability at
all!
Please visit the Heidi Van Arnem foundation at www.vanarnem.org, and Heidi's company, ICAN, Inc. The Interactive Career and Ability Network at www.icanonline.net
Heidi's Home Automation System:
Heidi's system is pretty straight forward. She can see the status of her environment and her speech recognition right on her television. We have the Smart Housekeeper controlling the following devices:
- 1 Thermostat
- Television
- VCR
- Stereo
- All lights
- Garage door
- Security alarm Status Check
Heidi's only requirement was that she wanted a system that works. She had purchased the Butler in a Box, but has not had success in any measure. The major difference between the Butler in a Box and the Smart Housekeeper is as follows: The Butler in a Box uses discrete speech recognition while the Smart Housekeeper uses Verbex's Listen for Windows 3.0. Verbex employs an exceptional continuous speech recognition engine. The system does not need to recognize each discrete word within a phrase to figure out what you're trying to say. In fact, many times, you can mis-speak the phrase and The Smart Housekeeper will still execute your intentions.
For example, if the expected phrase is, "Change the thermostat to 74" and you utter, "Turn the thermostat to 74" The Smart Housekeeper may just figure out what you meant. It's as if the recognition is almost too good. This can pose a problem, however. When you are engaged in a conversation, the Smart Housekeeper sometimes thinks your talking to it and not somebody else. To reconcile this problem, we use Verbex's sleep mode. Heidi says, "Wake up, house!" when she's ready to command her environment. She'll then say, "Stop listening" to continue her conversation. The Smart Housekeeper will also enter sleep mode after 20 seconds.
