Recognition of devoiced vowels using optical microphone made of multiple POF moisture sensors

A novel optical fiber microphone system for recognizing devoiced vowels has been studied. This system consists of optical detection of the moisture pattern formed by a devoiced breath and its recognition by modified DP-matching. To detect the moisture pattern of devoiced vowels, five plastic optical fiber moisture sensors with fast response were developed and used. Using this system, a high discernment rate of over 93% was obtained for devoiced vowels. This system will be used for verbally handicapped people to create sounds with minimal effort in the near future. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 93(9): 12–18, 2010; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ ecj.10253