Recognition of Japanese devoiced vowels using array of plastic optical fiber moisture sensors

A novel plastic-optical-fiber (POF) microphone for discerning devoiced breath, which is based on the detection of moisture pattern depending on the shape of mouth, have been studied. In the experiment coupled with this microphone and Dynamic Programming (DP) matching method, recognition rate over 90% was obtained against five devoiced vowels in Japanese. Therefore, using this system, verbally handicapped people will create sounds with a small effort.