Speaking of controls

Voice recognition has made big strides, but integrating it into a seamless human-machine interface is a huge challenge.

As voice recognition expands its reach, engineers are working to see how to best employ and integrate it. Changes in all control technologies are coming as developers push to make voice a centerpiece of complex human-machine interfaces.

Voice control is seen as the most viable way to let drivers manage myriad consumer products. It reduces driver distraction by letting people do fairly complex tasks such as finding a song on an MP3 player without taking their eyes off the road.