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AFRL Applies Voice Recognition Technology to Aircraft Maintenance
AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB Media Source: AFRL Success Stories
 
About the Technology:
Click to View Full Size ImageApplying voice recognition and activation technology to the aircraft maintenance environment increases the accuracy of data, decreases the time required to input data, and ultimately enhances the effectiveness of technicians. Improved data accuracy means that historical maintenance data becomes more meaningful and useful for analysis purposes. In terms of time and effectiveness, voice recognition and activation technology dramatically decreases the time it takes a maintainer to document maintenance actions, ensures the timeliness of status information, and often decreases the manpower needed to complete particular maintenance tasks.
 
Applications:   Military and Commercial Significance:
Kelley’s Logistics Support Systems (KLSS), Inc., transitioned the voice recognition technology, which the company developed under an AFRL Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) effort to provide voice input and navigation capability for two separate Air Force programs: Point of Maintenance (POMX) and B-2 Speech-Enabled Mapper. Using POMX, technicians use their voices and handheld computers to document maintenance actions at the job site, significantly improving data accuracy and integrity. Similarly, technicians using the B-2 Speech-Enabled Mapper rely on voice recognition and a portable computer to document defects in the low-observable material covering the B-2. They navigate the application using voice commands, capturing pertinent information through voice recognition instead of a keyboard or similar data input device. This hands-free environment allows each technician to document discrepancies, both reducing the potential for data entry errors and decreasing the time and manpower required to complete the inspection.   Under the SBIR program, KLSS has researched and developed various software tools using voice recognition technology since 1998. This SBIR contract, FM-Net, initially researched the feasibility of using voice recognition technology to document flight line status information captured passively through radio transmissions. The resulting Aircraft Status Reporting Tool proved to be 90% effective when tested in a real-world flight line environment. Building upon this research foundation, KLSS successfully applied voice recognition technology to aircraft inspection and maintenance documentation processes, as well as voice activation capability for navigating electronic technical orders, emergency checklists, and various maintenance applications. KLSS and AFRL subsequently transitioned the results of this SBIR effort to the commercial sector, where the technology has helped ophthalmologists document eye examinations in a hands-free mode.
 
Industry Contact:   Government Contact:
Kelley’s Logistics Support Systems (KLSS), Inc.
2091 Exchange Court
Fairborn, OH 45324

E-Mail: sales@kelleylog.com
Telephone: (937) 879-3483
Country: USA
   Air Force Research Laboratory

Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7226

Telephone: (800) 203-6451
 


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