Mechanical speechIn 1938, the first machine to produce intelligible speech-like sounds was exhibited by Bell Telephone scientists. Called "Pedro, the Voder," it was put on display to the public at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa. It could also imitate the sound of various farm animals. The inventor was Homer Dudley with Richard Riesz and Stanley Watkins. It was also demonstrated at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. It was basically a spectrum-synthesis device operated from a finger keyboard and a foot pedal pitch control. It duplicated an important physiological characteristic of the vocal system, namely, that the excitation could be voiced or unvoiced. However, its operation required persons to be well trained in the use of the controls. |
