Speech Recognition in Logistics

1. EIN 5346 Logistics Engineering σ Team: Pro-Sigma Professor : Dr. Ted Lee Speech Recognition in Logistics PRO Members : Chris- Loy Aiken 3239154 Trevor McKenzie 3239177 Marlon McIntosh 3239178

2. Contents • Speech Recognition vs. Voice Recognition • Brief history of Speech Recognition • Speech Recognition in Logistics • Relative Cost of System • Advantages of Voice Order Picking in Warehouse Management • Disadvantages of Voice Order Picking in Warehouse Management • The Future of Order Picking in Warehouse Management

3. Speech Recognition vs. Voice Recognition Definition: • Process of converting an acoustic signal, captured by a microphone, to a set of words, that can be interpreted by a receiver unit in most cases a computer system. - Speech Recognition

4. - Speech Recognition Cont. • The output produced can be stored to be added to a data base for later use or used immediately in the form of voice command. • The receiver unit display the words spoken and accuracy of the system can easily be seen by comparing the words spoken with the displayed results or action(s) executed in the case of voice command.

5. - Voice Recognition Definition: • Includes recognizing what is said and also identifies who said it and hence is more complicated than speech recognition. The process involves comparing the speaker’s voice to a existing voice database. • This system requires far more training of the receiver unit than with speech recognition systems. These systems are mostly used for security purposes, since regular human voice is one of the few unique biometric identifiers. (Like finger prints)

6. Brief history of Speech Recognition • The largest strides in the development of voice recognition technology have occurred in the past two decades, mainly due to advancement in technology. • In the pass converting acoustic signals into useful data required the use of lengthy algorithms and analog receiver units producing below average results. • Modern practices of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and faster more powerful processing computers producing far greater accuracy allowing speech recognition systems to become more popular in various industries.

7. - History Cont. • Popular techniques in the pass: Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) Dynamic Time Warping (DTW)

8. - History Cont. • Now Speech Recognition Systems are being used in several industries such as providing telephone support to writing medical reports. • Speech Recognition software and devices have become more functional and user friendly, with most contemporary products performing tasks with over 90 percent accuracy.

9. Speech Recognition in Logistics • Speech recognition systems in logistics are primarily used for order picking from a staging area to a pick belt or conveyor and from racks to carts or totes. • Datria, VoCollect, Lucasware, and Voxware provide the most prevalent speech recognition systems. • Speech recognition technology has been used in industrial applications since the 1980’s but became popular in warehouse management after Wal-Mart installed the VocollectTalkman into their Clarksville, Arkansas distribution center in 1996. 

10. - Voice Order Picking • Voice order picking utilizes speech recognition and speech synthesis to allow workers to communicate with the Warehouse Management System (WMS). • Operators wear headsets with microphones, a waist mounted small computer and communicate orally via a radio frequency (RF) local area network (LAN) with a software system in real time to receive and confirm picking tasks.

11. - Voice Order Picking Cont. • The synthetic computer voice instructs the operator to go to a pick location. • On arrival the operator confirms the location by speaking the location check digits that appear on a label positioned at each pick location (i.e. the label typically has a random 2 or 3 check digit).  • The system then instructs the operator to pick the designated quantity along with any other instructions that are required to complete the work task.  • The system may require a task completion check command when finished .

13. Relative Cost of System • 802.11b compliant RF network required to cover 100,000 sq. ft. $US 40 - 50,000 • Hardware server, database, chargers, accessories, $300 - 30,000 • Professional services and training $20 - 50,000 • Wireless mobile computer terminal bundled with software priced per user $4500 - $6000 • Total system cost for a 25 user application ranges between $188,000 - $280,000

14. Advantages of Voice Order Picking in Warehouse Management • Dramatic improvement of accuracy by as much as 80% to 90%. Upgrading from a paper based system has resulted in up to 99.9%accuracy. • Improvement in productivity due to hands-free picking. [The operator has both hands free to lift heavy products without the time loss associated with having to manipulate and holster a handheld RF device or clip board.]

15. Advantages of Voice Order Picking in Warehouse Management Cont. • Allows ease of use in warehouse freezers where operators have to wear protective gloves when handling frozen products. • Safety is improved as the hands free operation leads to fewer accidents. • Installation cost and training is relatively cheap when compared to other logistic warehouse systems.

16. Advantages of Voice Order Picking in Warehouse Management Cont. • Highly versatile system which can also be used with goods receiving, pallet put-away and let-down, and stock/inventory checking. • Eliminating paper picking labels brings a significant saving in the cost of the paper. • Real time radio communication enables real time stock updating.

17. Disadvantages of Voice Order Picking in Warehouse Management • Speech recognition becomes less reliable when an operator has to speak a lengthy sequence of alphanumeric characters such as serial numbers or UPC codes. • Warehouse system coverage is limited by the coverage provided by the RF transceiver unit. • Data collection and processing is lower than other warehouse logistic systems.

19. The Future of Order Picking in Warehouse Management • As technology evolves so too does order picking techniques. To keep their competitive edge, companies are combining different order picking techniques to maximize on techniques’ pros and reduce the individual cons in order to obtain the best aspects of each technology. 

20. The Future of Order Picking in Warehouse Management Cont. • For example, the voice terminal headset can guide an operator to the correct location.  The location is confirmed by speaking the check digit or by scanning the location’s bar code using a back-of-the-hand scanner.  The voice terminal then instructs the quantity to pick.  Any required data collection is then scanned as part of the picking transaction and lastly the operator verbally confirms the completion of the task.  • This approach combines the benefits of RF scanning ( data collection) with the benefits of voice technology ( hands-free order picking).

22. Work Sited • http://www.voicepicking.com/ • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_recognition#Hidden_Markov_models • http://www.allwarehousemanagement.com/speech-recognition-in-the-warehouse-voice-picking-14.htm • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77DoLdQvXNQ&feature=player_embedded All work sited on 9 January 2011

23. References • Practical Handbook of Warehousing (Chapman & Hall Materials Management/Logistics Series) Kenneth B. Ackerman, 1997 • Operations and Supply Chain Management for the 21st Century 1st edition, Ken Boyer and RohitVerma - South-Western College Pub, 2009 • Speech and Language Processing, Daniel Jurafsky and James H. Martin - Prentice Hall , 2000 • Fundamentals of Speech Recognition, Lawrence Rabiner and Biing-Hwang Juang - Prentice Hall, 1993