Step-Sensitive Grammar for Hands-Free Task Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to provide effective, hands-free, and context-sensitive assistance for users performing complex tasks such as cooking, vehicle repair, or medical procedures, as they are not designed to handle the constraints of time, space, and attention required in these situations, leading to user stress and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates step-sensitive grammar for predefined tasks, allowing voice-controlled navigation and query recognition, enabling users to interact naturally while keeping hands free, and providing context-aware assistance by guiding users through tasks with audio and visual cues, similar to a human instructor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cookbook or manual is used to guide users through tasks, then users can obtain step-by-step instructions, but users cannot interact hands-free and must physically handle the book while performing tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical cookbook handling with an acoustic system using speech recognition and synthesis. The voice-activated interface allows users to navigate recipe steps and ask questions hands-free, substituting the mechanical interaction of turning pages and holding books with voice-based interaction that frees both hands for cooking tasks.
2Reliability
If a traditional cookbook is used, then users can access recipe information, but users experience stress and intimidation due to the need to constantly reference the book while cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback by listening for user questions and comments throughout the cooking process. When users ask questions like 'how long do I cook the chicken?' or 'what temperature should the oven be at?', the system responds with relevant information, creating an interactive dialogue that reduces stress by providing timely assistance rather than requiring constant proactive reference to the cookbook.
Solution Approach 2:
The voice-activated system acts as an intermediary between the user and the recipe information. Instead of the user directly interacting with the static cookbook, the intermediary system translates user questions into appropriate responses and guides users through steps verbally, creating a more natural and less stressful interaction that adapts to the user's needs in real-time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If general speech recognition is used, then users can interact naturally with the system, but the system cannot accurately understand user intent in specific task contexts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating step-specific grammars that are tailored to each individual recipe step rather than using a single general grammar. Each grammar is customized to recognize the specific commands and questions relevant to that step, such as recognizing 'how long to cook' questions during cooking steps or 'what temperature' questions during preparation steps, thereby improving recognition accuracy within each local context.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts its speech recognition capabilities by switching between different step-specific grammars as the user progresses through the recipe. The grammar changes dynamically based on the current step context, allowing the system to maintain high recognition accuracy for context-relevant commands while rejecting irrelevant ones, thus achieving both adaptability and precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method in accordance with the present invention include means for providing interactive assistance for the performance of a set of predefined steps, including selecting the set of predefined steps and automatically generating a step-sensitive grammar for each step. Generating the step-sensitive grammar includes generating a set of navigation commands related to each step and generating a set of rules to recognize potential queries related to each step. A recognizer is configured for determining if a received utterance forms one of the navigation commands or one of the potential queries, within a context of the current step. Form this determination, provided are navigation to a different step if the utterance was a navigation command or a response if the utterance was a query.