Using Speech Recognition to Program in Microsoft Visual Studio

We have just posted a very cool video showing off some of the work we have been doing with Voice Recognition.

At Renaissance, we try to allocate time for our developers to explore new tools and technologies that are not necessarily related to their current projects. This speech application is the result of one such project developed by Kim Major (http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/kim).

The video (http://www.renaissance.co.il/VSSpeech.aspx) offers a glimpse of our thinking and early implementation of extending Microsoft Visual Studio to allow programmers to write code in C# or VB.NET using mostly speech recognition. We believe that this unique approach could be a real boon for handicapped programmers, temporary suffers of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), or programmers who just want to program while lying on the beach.

This is a work in progress and we would very much like to hear your comments and feedback either over here or at speech@renaissance.co.il.

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5 Comments

  • This is really awesome stuff. Although I would prefer to say step, step, rather than step over, step over... :)

    But, very good stuff... Now not only will developers want to avoid poses which give ergonomic problems, but they will also need to avoid doing things that can give them a sore throat :D

  • Excellent! Any way of trying it out for ourselves?

  • Yes, interesting.  Definitely much slower than typing, but I've sometimes wondered what I would do if I were injured and could no longer keyboard efficiently.
    I could see this being helpful to someone who is, say, on an hours-long drive and wanting to get some work done, maybe if stricken with a coding bug.  That got me thinking about a feedback mechanism so you'd know that the input was accepted, which in turn made me realize that this would also be essential for the visually impaired.
    Perhaps the machine could immediately read back added code (optionally, of course), read out intellisense options, narrowed by spoken letters, etc.  Allowing completely screen-free editing would also allow more battery life from notebooks, and it would allow me to code even as a vehicle passenger, whereas reading always makes me carsick.
    Additionally, it would be great to be able to say "repeat" instead of repeating the same sometimes-lengthy command two or more times, to "begin[/end] recording" to create small temporary macros.

  • Cool idea!

    Although could get annoying in an open plan office...

  • This is sweet! I would definitely buy it once it had a little polishing!

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