Wouldn't just be great to put a pizza in the oven and just tell it what you want it to do, what gas mark and how long for ETC. Or the washing machine, Microwave. It would be shear bliss not having to worry about programming, just saty the words and the appliance will do exactly what you ask!
-- Turkish, Jan 12 2002

Not quite possible with this technology http://wata.org/resource/e-control/
But they have thought about it. [Guy Fox, Jan 12 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

More home automation, here. http://www.time.com...y/orange_homes.html
A quick search on 'voice-activated washing machine' gives a lot of links on Google. [Guy Fox, Jan 12 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

I don't see what the big difference is between setting a switch to "300 degrees" and saying "300 degrees", except that with the switch I know the machine "understood" me, whereas with voice I/O the machine will have to repeat what I said in order to make sure I know it understood me.

You seem to think that by changing the interface from knobs and buttons to voice you're somehow no longer "programming" (entering parameters, really, none of this is programming), but that's not true.

There would be another change where the machines automatically tell what to do given the result or input; for example, a microwave that can heat something to a certain temperature for a certain time, or a washing machine that examines your laundry and automatically detects that a stray red sock got in there; but that's independent from whether you use voice input.
-- jutta, Jan 12 2002


I can see some benefits from this idea: I could be chopping up stuff for a salad and tell the oven to heat itself in preparation for whatever I'm going to broil. This would save me from interrupting my other preparations and I don't have to wash my hands just to fiddle with the oven controls.

The time savings is minimal, but the same could be said of the remote control for my television.
-- phoenix, Jan 12 2002


It's an alright idea, but, I'm afraid it's not really original. It's half-baked already in any number of science fiction novels, stories, films or tv series - just think "Earl Gray, hot". In fact, I'd imagine some Japanese companies have voice-programmed washing machines in the offing even as we speak. Nice try, though, Turkish.
-- Guy Fox, Jan 12 2002


Novel, but what if I am reading a phone number to a friend and the oven decides that this is the tempature it is to be set at, a malfunction if you will. Bye house!
-- tinamn, Jun 19 2002



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