Australian W3C Office

Giving Voice to the Web

Presenter: Dr Max Froumentin
Date and Time: 9:00am to 10:30, Tuesday 4th May 2004
Location: IIB, Level 2, Leighton Building, 143 Coronation Drive (entry off Little Cribb Street) Milton

Abstract:

W3C recently published five new recommendations enabling speech recognition and synthesis for the Web. Users will be able to navigate, request information and even fill in Web forms using speech and other forms of input. The Speech Interface Framework includes VoiceXML (Voice Extensible Markup Language), SRGS (Speech Recognition Grammar Specification), Speech Synthesis, Call Control and Semantic Interpretation.

A key goal of the Framework is to increase interoperability between the Web and voice applications, making it possible to expand access to the Web to allow people to interact via key pads, spoken commands, as well as listening to prerecorded and synthetic speech. This will allow any telephone to be used to access appropriately designed Web-based services, and will be a boon to people with visual impairments or needing Web access while keeping their hands and eyes free.

This talk will introduce the Framework and its Components, with a focus on the practical benefits it provides for the Web application developer. Related work at W3C, such as Multimodal Interaction, will also be described, as well as the ongoing work of the Working Group to define the next generation of voice interaction languages.

Bio:

Dr Max Froumentin joined the W3C in 2001. Since 2003, he is the contact for two Working Groups:

- The Voice Browser Working Group, which designs the VoiceXML family of standards for vocal interaction, synthesis and recognition
- The Multimodal Interaction Working Group, which deals with universal access to the Web through any modality: screen, voice, keypad, stylus, etc.

Max’s interests are 2D and 3D graphics, styling and typography. Max completed a PhD in computer graphics in 1996 at University of Lille, France.

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This project is funded under the Commonwealth Government's Innovation Access Program. An initiative of Backing Australia's Ability, the Commonwealth Government's commitment to Innovation and supported by the Queensland Government's Information Industries Bureau, Software Engineering Australia, Queensland, Australian Telecommunications User Group (ATUG), and DSTC.