INTRODUCTION
In this section we would like to briefly discuss selected examples of more complex systems that could exist today that would expand upon our basic model. We also describe how evolving technologies could impact InterCaption technology.

Multiple User Systems
The InterCaption set up that we discussed earlier features two users. It is possible, however, to incorporate more users at each site. Delegate microphone systems allow meeting participants to use individual microphones. A central control unit, usually used by the meeting facilitator, ensures that only one microphone is active at any given time. (Here in an example of one such system.) A database of voice records could ensure that the voice recognition software would be able to handle speech from a group of users. A future possibility would be to have encode user records on identify cards that could travel with them. The computer routines that integrate the text from both sites could easily be created to distinguish between speakers. Advanced captioning features (see below) could help the audience distinguish between speakers.

Reciprocal Captioning - Read Back Feature
It would be valuable to add speech production technology to our system. This could be managed by a combination of software and hardware incorporated into the computer. This "read back" feature would be able to reproduce earlier interactions and allow users to participate by simply entering text rather than speaking. Advanced Captioning
Caption encoders and decoders have more advanced features that exist today yet are not widely used. For example, captions can be broadcast in diverse fonts and colors. This functionality would be useful when captioning multiple speakers or multiple languages.

Improved Speech Recognition
Speech recognition technologies are presently trained on specific users. It is reasonable to expect that in the future systems may still be trained on specific users but perhaps that a recognition system would be able to transcribe the speech of multiple users within one system. (e.g. members of a company or a family.)

Non-English Speech Recognition
It would be very useful to have automated speech recognition of languages other than English. It is unclear, however, what forces would drive this to happen, as this is an issue of marketplace rather than hardware.

Captured Videoconferencing: Synched Voice, Video & Text
We have outlined an approach for capturing and integrating captions on two sides of a dialogue. Likewise, it would be useful to capture and digitized the corresponding video and audio. Furthermore, if these six feeds were linked (voice, video and text on two sides), it would be possible to use the captured captions to search for keywords in order to locate a given video segment. Technology exists today that would allow for a fairly cumbersome, hybridized version of this system - likely involving a server with capturing capabilities and routines to organize the information. Greater bandwidth and higher-powered machines would make this a more realistic goal for an average consumer.

Back to Top

"InterCaption: Facilitating Communication Through Captioning"
© K. Acker, T. Lytle, J. Porvin (1998)
Back to VisCom 98 Projects Homepage