The emerging breed of voice command devices already go far beyond the fickleness of Apple's Siri or Samsung's S Voice and the (slight) frustration when they totally misunderstand. Voice Command Devices (VCDs) are increasingly designed to respond to multiple voices and different accents and dialects, putting us all in the power position - supposedly anyway, for we've all seen non-native speakers of the language in question fight endlessly to be understood.
With today’s VCDs, you can rule over your household appliances or get your smartphone to be your personal assistant. Recent versions of Mac OS and Microsoft Windows come complete with voice recognition capabilities to improve your productivity. Cars are being developed that merge GPS and VCD in ways that will ultimately allow us all to become backseat drivers. Literally. Even some gaming consoles come with basic voice commands, enabling you to become the emperor of imaginary worlds, as well.
Though still in its initial phase, Google Glass is a tantalising example of where VCDs may be taking us. A pair of high-tech eyewear, Glass offers a number of hands-free ways of manipulating your environment. The slightly Cyborg ‘spectacles’ (albeit without lenses) remain dormant until you waken them with a simple "ok glass", upon which you can ask them to take a picture or record a video. Ask how to say half a pound in Chinese and Glass searches translation sites and then does the rest.
Fiddling around with menus or missing out on a great photo while looking for your phone or camera will become a thing of the past. Glass gives you total control, in real time. The implications a voice-activated, wearable recording device that will allow wearers to instantly upload photos and other recordings to the internet while on the hop are so enormous – and potentially litigious – that Glass has already been banned in some public places (strip clubs, casinos, cinemas, for example) even before it goes on sale in 2014.
Despite fears of the damage they may cause to privacy, and indeed to copyright – many internet commentators are convinced that VCDs will become the norm in the future, given their potential and practicality once glitches are ironed out.
But VCDs are just one way devices are enabling us to manipulate our surroundings. Motion control is also a prime player and as anyone who has indulged in the delights of the Kinect knows, this technology opens to door to interesting possibilities.
Another extremely interesting technology is eye motion control. A godsend for those with limited motor skills through disease or disability, existing devices already replace the need for a mouse to use a computer. A camera above the screen monitors eye movements, allowing you to use your gaze to perform basic functions and even to type.
Whether by helping the disabled take greater command of their lives or by enabling the average person to ascend to dizzying heights of control, the world of VCD/Motion control devices means that increasingly, you're the boss. You call the shots. You look at your goal and give the command. Soon, everyone will be taking command.
