Coding an application with user assistants and character help
systems that can take voice inputs and speak as well, may seem a nightmarish job
for an independent programmer. But now, there's an easier answer to it.
Microsoft Agent, which Microsoft defines as "ActiveX technology for
interactive software agents" allows you to program interactive animated
characters. Microsoft Agent runs as a COM server that can be programmed in
COM-enabled languages such as Visual J++ and Visual C++, and also as an ActiveX
control in languages such as Visual Basic, VBScript, JavaScript, etc, to make
use of special interactive characters. These characters can take speech input
using Microsoft Speech Input Engine, and give text-to-speech output using
Lernout and Hauspie text-to-speech engine.
You can create these characters using Microsoft's Character
Editor and Microsoft Linguistic Information Editor, which allow programming
lip-synching with voice output, various gestures, and special sounds. Default
characters can also be used, including Peedy the Parrot, Merlin the Wizard,
Genie, and Robby the Robot.
The characters are comparable to Microsoft Office Assistant
characters, but they aren't the same. Microsoft Agent characters are not
limited to a specific type of application, and have voice input/output
capability. They can also move on the screen, make gestures and actions on
screen with sounds of their own, and use pre-recorded WAV files for speech.
Microsoft Agent can be used for many applications such as interactive user
interfaces to Web pages (due to scripting support) and GUI-based applications,
story tellers, Web page reader applications, application interfaces for the
disabled, e-mail notifiers and readers, help systems, chat avatars, and computer
buddies.
The speech engines are adaptive, and as new voice recognition
and speech input technologies come up, the same Agent application can easily be
ported to a new speech platform, provided the latter is compatible with
industry-standard speech API.
The characters are stored in separate ACF files. Microsoft Agent is a sort of
patch to Windows, and Windows 2000 even ships Microsoft Agent by default. With a
typical executable application using Microsoft Agent, Microsoft Agent setup and
Lernout and Hauspie TTS engine setup are run separately as per licensing rules.
The characters are a complement to the GUI interface and do not substitute it.
Microsoft Speech Recognition is the only choice for voice input, while for
text-to-speech output the choice could be between Microsoft and Lenout and
Hauspie TTS engines.
Let's take a look at how you can program Agent in JScript
or JavaScript.
Let's assume that you've downloaded and installed
Microsoft Agent, and the Robby Character-whom this script calls Robby, and he
says "Mera Bharat Mahan!". Comments in the source describe the code
(see box).
More information, documentation, characters, Microsoft Agent
API, and tools, are available at www.microsoft. com/agent.
There are very few implementations of Microsoft Agent in the
market today. One good and popular implementation is BonziBuddy-a computer companion using the Peedy character-at www.bonzi.com
Microsoft Agent Sample-JScript
The OBJECT tag defines Agent ActiveX control to the browser (and even automatically downloads Agent if not found), from your Website.
->
CLASSID=”CLSID:D45FD31B-5C6E-11D1-9EC1-00C04FD7081F”
CODEBASE = “http:/your server/msagent.exe#VERSION=2,0,0,0”>
This tag initializes Lernout and Hauspie TruVoice TTS engine for voice output
->
CLASSID=”CLSID:B8F2846E-CE36-11D0-AC83-00C04FD97575"
CODEBASE=”#VERSION=6,0,0,0">
Akshat Singhal