Don't touch that dial - just talk to your radio. XM Satellite is working with speech recognition vendor VoiceBox to enable drivers to change the channels using their voice.
VoiceBox developed algorithms that prompt responses based on the context of what's being said, so drivers can speak conversationally, unlike the telephone voice response systems that don't listen when you ask to talk to an operator. The companies haven't said when a working system will be available.
Since I don't use my cell much in the car, I probably spend more time adjusting the radio than anything else, so making the operation hands free will definitely enhance safety.
Toyota is also licensing the technology from VoiceBox, as is Johnson Controls, for use with its BlueTooth handset integration. It's been a long, slow haul in improving speech recognition to accurately understand individual speech patterns using a PC and specialty voice processing chips, so squeezing that technology on an in-car computer is a challenge.
