History of Speech and Language Technology

Exhibit List

This page will eventually serve as an index to individual pages for each exhibit. At that time, we will be soliciting comments about people's experiences either in developing, manufacturing, marketing or using these objects (or in composing or reading other exhibits such as technical papers, etc.). If you wish to comment now on any of the present exhibits, please send your observations as email to <Janet_Baker AT email DOT com>. Thank you.

Apricot Portable Computer: first PC with built-in speech recognition, licensed from Dragon Systems , Inc. (1984).

Babyz: PC game from The Learning Company, Inc., using speech recognition licensed from IBM (1999).

Command Aces of the Deep, PC Game, by Sierra, using IBM speech recognition.

DECtalk User Manual: speech synthesis from Digital Equipment Corp. (1985).

Dragon Dictate Installation Manual: discrete word dictation system from Dragon Systems, Inc. (1990).

Dragon NaturallySpeaking: the first general purpose continuous speech dictation product, produced by Dragon Systems, Inc. (1997).

HTK Toolkit manual: speech recognition tools from Entropic Cambridge Research Laboratorty Ltd., UK (1995-6).

IBM Personal Dictation System: disctrete speech recognition dictation product for the PC from IBM (1993).

IBM VoiceType Dictation for Windows: discrete speech recognition dictation product for the PC from IBM (1995).

"Julie": doll with speech synthesis and recognition technology, produced by Worlds of Wonder in conjunction with Texas Instruments (1987).

Kombat: Pirated DragonDictate product converted to Russian (1998).

Kurzweil Voice: discrete speech recognition dictation system for the PC from Kurzweil Applied Intelligence, Inc. (1994).

L&H VoiceXpress: general purpose continuous speech dictation product, produced by Lernout & Hauspie, Inc., version 5. (2000).

Listen for Windows: Small vocabulary continuous speech recognition system from Verbex Voice Systems, Inc. (1993).

Microsoft Windows Sound System: speech synthesis and recognition (with speech technology software licensed from various companies) from Microsoft Corporation (1992)

"Speak 'n Spell": a commercial learning toy developed by Texas Instruments (1978).

SpeechLab Laboratory Manual and Speechlink H2000 User Manual for the Apple II Computer from Heuristics (1979).

Star Trek Klingon: Language LPC product featuring Klingon Language Laboratory using Dragon Systems speech recognition from Simon & Schuster Interactive (1996).

Star Trek Omnipedia, A Voice-Activated Guide to the Future: PC game using Dragon Systems speech recognition by Simon & Schuster.

SuperTalker operating manual and hardware: speech synthesis and A/D board by Mountain Hardware, Inc. (1979).

"The Typewriter one hundred years hence": cartoon from The Illustrated Phonographic World (June, 1894).

Voice Master Key: small vocabulary, board-level, speech product for the Apple II from Covox, Inc.