Project description
Spotting keywords with an eye to the present and the future
Keyword spotting (KWS), the detection of keywords from an audio stream comprising speech, is a pivotal speech technology implemented in a variety of electronic devices that use voice integration. Although the performance of speech technologies is being increasingly enhanced, the issue of quality degradation due to acoustic distortions remains. The EU-funded AGILE-KWS project aspires to advance KWS technology by researching and developing innovative state-of-the-art acoustic distortion-robust methods. AGILE-KWS will use concepts successfully applied to automatic speech recognition to expand KWS performance in real-world acoustic conditions. The focuses are the preservation of NASA’s Apollo mission speech recordings and the upgrading of voice-based interaction with hearing assistive devices.
Objective
Speech technologies like keyword spotting (KWS), which is concerned with the detection of keywords from an audio stream comprising speech, are nowadays in vogue thanks to their integration in many electronic devices in order to comfortably interact with them by means of the voice. Despite all the research progress made over the last decades, the performance of speech technologies is still severely degraded when acoustic distortions like background noise or reverberation are present. This can make these technologies completely unusable for the real-world applications. As a result, this project proposal aims at taking KWS technology forward by researching and developing novel state-of-the-art acoustic distortion-robust methods based on concepts successfully applied to related areas like automatic speech recognition to get a leap of KWS performance in real-world (i.e. noisy) acoustic conditions. This will be achieved while working towards two different and exciting timely goals with high social impact giving an interdisciplinary dimension to this action: 1) the preservation of the NASA’s Apollo mission speech recordings for future generations (during the outgoing phase), and 2) the improvement of hearing-impaired people’s life quality by facilitating voice-based interaction with hearing assistive devices like hearing aids (during the incoming phase).
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
9220 Aalborg
Denmark