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PHONETICS, ELECTRONICS:
Machines Commanded by Human Voice
By ROBERT BALL
Speech department's research
laboratory would look like para-
dise to the technically-minded hi-
fi enthusiast.
The Angell Hall lab is filled
with hi-fi amplifiers, meters and
oscilloscopes. A large bank of tape
recording equipment stands in
one corner of the room, and a
small sound-insulated cubic le
completes the setup.
But the equipment in the room
only hints at the research projects
conducted there by Prof. Gordon
Peterson of the speech depart-
ment, and his associates-projects
based on speech characteristics
and their application to commun-
ication problems.
One of the projects concerns
the techniques of commanding
machines by voice - but more
complex than a simple "start-
stop" concept.
Talk To TV
Through such a system one
might speak to his television set'
in an ultra-modern living room,
controlling volume, channel or fo-
cus by voice.
Only very basic research on
voice control is presently being
conducted, Prof. Peterson said.
This involves basic analysis of
speech, such as frequency compo-
nents in various syllables and
vowels.
4 Research is done with a spectro-
graph, a device which charts
sound frequency and loudness
over a period of time to draw a
'picture" of the word.
Prof. Peterson believes that
construction of a voice control in-
strument would include filters to
separate and analyze different
frequency components and their
relation to each other and a "me-
mory" to compare the commands
with its "stored" meaning.
Second Project
The second project is seeking a
new means to send several conver-
sations over two wires.
Essentially, the projected device
would extract pieces, or 'bits" of
speech from each conversation
in order and feed it into the cir-
cuit.
A similar device, working back-
wards 'at the opposite eid, would
decode the material by re-assemb-
ling the bits into intelligible
speeches.
ELI Spotlights
Puerto Rico
The English Language Institute
is sponsoring a program .of Puerto
Rican songs, music and dancing
at 8 p.m. today in Rackham As-
sembly -Hall.
The program, presented by the
Puerto Rican Students, will be di-
rected by Miss Carmen Santos,
chairman of the group. A short
talk about the culture of Puerto
Rico will precede the show.
The show is part of the regular
Friday night program sponsored
by English Language Institute.
'U' Caught
In Lansing
Crossfire
(Continued from Page 1)
The state department of ad-l
ministration, anxious to balance
this fiscal year's budget, proposedj
that the University appropriation
be cut to $1,100,000, with the re-
maining money to come from pro-
jects like hospital rehabilitation
and the new fire station on which
work has progressed more slowly
than was anticipated.
Slow and Fast Projects
State comptroller James Miller
suggested to the University that it
shift the funds from the slow pro-
jects to the fast ones. He said the
University has the power to spend
money as it saw fit once the legis-
lature appropriates it.
Republican legislators protested,
and one called the proposal "gob-
bledegook."
Another said "If the legislature
appropriates money for a specific
building, I don't see how the Uni-
versity can spend the money for
something else.
Money for Buildings
"Otherwise," he added, they
shouldn't be getting any money
for buildings from us."t
Vice-President and Dean ofs
Faculties Marvin Niehuss com-t
mented yesterday that University
policy is to "use money for thet
purposes for which it was appro-t
priated," regardless of whether itr
has the power to do otherwise.L
"We're not," Niehuss added, "go-
ing to transfer the money without
the legislature's approval."1
By BARBARA GORALNICK
What's that collection of con-
crete and sandbags, wire and wood
supports in front of the School of
Architecture and Design?
The architects call it a hyper-
bolic paraboloid and predict it's
the shape of things to come in the
building industry.
Made of concrete, only three-
fourths of an inch thick, the sad-
dle-shaped structure is one form
of thin shell concrete roofs being
to constant tests . . . hence thel
weights and sandbags.
"They've stood up under loads
far greater than required in prac-
tice," Prof. Oberdick reports. The
models were constructed with or-
dinary concrete so theresearchers
could accurately project the re-
sults to full scale structures.
"Quite flexible" under heavy
concentrated loads, the doubly
curved shape is highly resistant to
buckling," he said.
The architect added that be-
cause of their geometric shape,
hyperbolic paraboloids are nearly
100% efficient when used as roofs.
Increasesin Popularity
Being fire proof, strong, and
easily maintained, the use of con-
crete roofs is growing. Concrete,
a relatively inexpensive material,
cuts costs.
Usually, wood forms are built
to the roof's shape, and the con-
crete is poured over these molds.
Labor costs to build these forms
run high and because of this, ar-
chitects in Mexico and Europe have
been able to make wider use of the
new building development.
One way of reducing the con-
struction costs is by reusing the
form, and with this in mind, Prof.
Oberdick plans research into pre-
casting roof sections.
The procedure involved casting
parts of the roof on the ground or
some place other than its final po-
sition," the experimenter said. In
this way, it's possible to cast the
roof in sections, repeatedly using
the same form. Then the sections
are connected together, giving one
roof with the same strength of a
roof constructed with a single
pouring.
Though Prof. Oberdick does not
predict that the hyperbolic para-
boloidal shaped roof will put the
flat or gable roof out of style in
the near future, the greater free-
dom of expression intrigues those
with an eye towards the future.
Architects Build Saddle-Shaped Roof
Conference
Hosts Display
On Religion
Several exhibits connected wi
the All-Campus Conference on Rl
ligion are now being shown in t
Union lobby and will be on displ
through tomorrow.
Artifacts of several faiths a
being displayed.
Alumni Hall is featuring a nun
ber of religious prints and Kels
Museum is presenting textiles
the early
Egypt.
Christian period
TOURIST CLASS TO EUROPE
rl
-Daily-Norm Jacobs
PROF. GORDON PETERSON--Speech Dept. professor conducts
projects on speech characteristics and their application to com-
munication problems in well equipped Speech Lab.
Greatest problem confronting
Prof. Peterson and his researchers
is one of timing - "knowing how
to take the samples" - how long
each bit should be and how far
apart they can be taken to pro-
vide maximum understanding
and number of channels.
Prof. Peterson has devised a
means of experimenting with dif-
ferent timing. A two-second sen-
tence or group of words is re-
corded. This is broken up by a
special tape recorder using a loop
of tape.
By varying spacing between the
record head and the pick-up head,
the- speech sequence is re-re-
corded, but this is done in, such a
way that every other bit is dis-
carded and replaced with the bit
preceding.
Listeners hearing the iesult,
write down the number of words
they can distinguish. The num-
ber heard and understood cofi-
pared with the number origin-
ally recorded is taken as a mea-
sure of intelligibility.
Garbled Gettysburg Address
On a low speed run, using long
bits, the Gettysburg Address
might start out like this: "four
score four score, years ago years
ago, -thers brought forth, -thers
brought forth," leaving out "an
seven" and "our fa-".
Carried over several seconds,
the intelligibility would be meas-
ured at less than 50 per cent. But
in practice, the bits would be short
enough that only a small part of
a syllable would be taken, and the
entire syllable would be sampled
several times.
Using short bits, intelligibility
has been found to increase to
nearly 100 per cent.
One result of this research has
been development of a new type
of delay system to do the job of
the loop of tape and the recorder.
Using long bits, the tape loop me-
thod is adequate, but for high
speed, such as sampling 5,000 bits
per second, the new device is
needed.
It consists of a rotating drum
with a lucite coating. Two sets of
contacts ride around the drum
over the coating, the first leaving
an electric charge, the next pick-
ing up the charge.
Split Seconds
Their separation from each oth-
er around the circumference of
the drum determines the length
of each bit, which varies from less
than one thousandth of a second
to 30 thousandths of a second.
The problem is that the switch-
ing mechanisms can't deliver the
sampled short, high-speed bits
and see that the sector of speech
that comes out is the same that
went in.
When input and output don't
coincide, or when the system isn't
"linear", background noise re-
sults, limiting intelligibility.
"We strive for normal, natur-
al speech," Prof. Peterson ex-
plained.
-Daily-Norm Jac6bs
PROF. OBERDICK
... with roof experiment
built in increasing numbers over
schools, f a c t o r i es and homes
throughout the world.
A relatively new type of struc-
ture, roofs of concrete, poured in
thin layers over wooden forms and
reinforced by steel mesh are still
undergoing development.
Research at 'U'
Much of the research in hyper-
bolic paraboloids has been con-
ducted at the University since Pro-
fessor Willard Oberdick of the Col-
lege of Architecture and Design di-
rected the construction of the two
large shells in August of 1955.
The shells have been subjected
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Organization
Notices
Union Bridge Club, duplicate bridge
tournament, March 8, 7:30 p.m., Union.
* * *
21 Circolo Italiano, flim, March 8,
8 p.m., Angell Hall Auditorium A, Ro-
berto Rosellini's T"aisan."
The Roger Williams Fellowship, par-
ty for high school group in Ypsilanti,
March 8, 7:00 p.m., meet at Guild
House.
The Roger Williams Fellowship, Stu-
dent Bible class discusses "Isaiah,"
March 10, 9:45 a.m. Guild House.
Westminster Student Fellowship,!
Grad supper and discussion, March 8,
6:30 p.m., Student Center, Lewis Room.
Topic: "Modern Rivals of the Christian
Faith."
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(Approved for Veterans)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY
Illinois College of
OPTOMETRY
Applications for admission to
classes beginning September 9,
1957 are now being received.
Three year course
of professional study
Leading to the Degree of
Doctor of Optometry
Requirements for Entrance:
Two years (60 semester hours or
equivalent quarter hrs.)in spe-
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WRfTE FOR BULLETIN
TO: REGISTRAR
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of OPTOMETRY
3241 So. Michigan Ave.
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YOUR JUNIOR YEAR
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Year-round Ideal Climate
LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE WORKSHOP:
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SPECIAL SUMMER SESSIONS: June 11 to July 16
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Emphasis on:
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