HuMaNet: An experimental human-machine communications network based on ISDN wideband audio

A human's sensory capacity to assimilate, perceive, and react to information is much smaller than the capacity of modern transport facilities that convey the information. Moreover, the volume of information and the complexity of the terminal used to access the information can overwhelm people. The challenge, then, is to match an information system's capabilities to those of our senses. Recent advances in speech-processing technology have made natural voice — our preferred means for information exchange — feasible for human-machine communications. We describe an experimental network, called HuMaNet, that is implemented on commercial ISDN transport. The HuMaNet system uses speech-processing technology to make communications easier and more natural. Spoken commands control the system, which combines image and audio compression, database management, hands-free teleconferencing, and text-to-speech synthesis. Although HuMaNet is only in its initial phase, it has proved a remarkably habitable environment for human control of a complex computer and communications system.