Voice control in smart homes using distant microphones: a VoiceXML-Based approach

This paper proposes the design of a voice control module for intelligent environments, primarily oriented to home environments. An intelligent environment is understood to be a ubiquitous space equipped with embedded devices. This solution is based on the main standards in the field of speech technologies (VoiceXML, MRCP, SRGS and SISR), dynamically adaptable to structural changes in the home automation system and scalable to the number of rooms and devices in the home. The final solution has been validated in a real home automation installation, using distant speech recognition and a keyword detection approach (keyword spotting, KWS). KWS works as an input filter for the dialogue system, making it more robust against noise. Test results have shown the technical feasibility of the solution and promising user acceptance.