Rockwell Collins Selects Adacel For Voice Activated Avionics

Orlando, FL - Adacel, an industry leader in software integration, simulation development and speech recognition technology, announced recently that it has been selected by Rockwell Collins to develop a Voice Activated Cockpit (VAC) interface for its next generation Pro Line avionics suite.

Adacel will provide a modified version of the system being developed for the F35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter that will provide pilots with the capability to interact with avionics functions using voice commands. VAC will operate cooperatively with the avionics suite as an alternative to manual input. The system is expected to begin flight testing in 2008 leading to DO -178B certification.

"An accurate and consistently reliable voice recognition system reduces pilot workload and enhances operational efficiency," said Denny Helgeson, Vice President and General Manager for Business and Regional Systems. "Rockwell Collins is pleased to work with Adacel for speech recognition technology to provide industry leading capabilities to our customers."

Adacel's Voice Activated Cockpit system is speaker independent, eliminating the requirement for individual voice training. Basic features include radio frequency selection and display interaction. Adacel's plan for future versions of VAC include voice input to Autopilot, Flight Management System (FMS), Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) interfaces and command macro's for executing a series of inputs using a single voice command.

"Adacel has demonstrated that accurate and reliable voice control in a high noise, high stress environment is achievable," said Fred Sheldon, Adacel CEO. "We will expand our technology and speech recognition experience to provide this important safety enhancement to the aviation community. We expect that voice interfaces in civil aircraft cockpits will become a common feature in the very near future," continued Mr Sheldon. "The VAC system has significant potential to improve flight safety and Adacel intends to be at the forefront of this exciting innovation."

SOURCE: Adacel and Rockwell Collins