A Spoken Dialog System Speech Interface Based on a Microphone Array

In this paper we present a Spoken Dialog System (SDS) with a Microphone Array (MA). Our goal is to create a hands-free home automation system with a speech interface to control home devices. The MA interface enables to create ubiquitous speech acquisition for the SDS. The implemented system allows any user - in any position in a room - to establish a dialog with a virtual butler that is able to control a wide range of home appliances (room lights, air-conditioner, windows shades and hi-fi features). This virtual butler has a 3D animated face that is, while the dialog is engaged, able to steer to the user's position and respond to his/hers commands with synthesized speech. The presented results show that the MA, as distant talk interface, performs quite well and is a step towards a more realistic human-machine interaction.