[Avionics Today 02-03-2015] Honeywell is flight-testing voice recognition capabilities on an Embraer ERJ170 flight deck, working with pilots and regulators to assess the ability of voice commands to enhance safety and efficiency in airborne scenarios. The engineering and technology team has developed the Honeywell Innovative Prototyping Environment (HIPE) that allows pilots to replace the ERJ170’s traditional multipurpose control display unit with a tablet that receives voice commands.
Honeywell Innovative Prototyping Environment (HIPE) on an Embraer ERJ170. Photo: Honeywell Aerospace.
“Voice recognition will be a huge advancement in the cockpit because speech can eliminate many manual steps required to execute a command thereby decreasing workload and allowing a pilot to focus on flying safely and efficiently,” Honeywell said in a press release explaining the new technology.
Honeywell is currently working to improve the ability of the voice recognition technology to more accurately process accents from non-native English speakers, according to Andy Drexler, director of marketing and product management at Honeywell.