Microsoft Patents Silent Voice Command Input Method

According to a new patent published by the World Intellectual Property Organization during December 2018, Microsoft might introduce sometime in the future a new voice input method allowing its users to control a virtual assistant using silent voice commands.

As described in Microsoft's patent:

Implementations of the subject matter described herein provide a silent voice input solution without being noticed by surroundings. Compared with conventional voice input solutions which are based on normal speech or whispering, the proposed "silent" voice input method is performed by using ingressive voice during the user's breathing-in process. By placing the apparatus very close to the user's mouth with a ultra-small gap formed between the microphone and the apparatus, the proposed silent voice input solution can realize a very small voice leakage, and thereby allowing the user to use ultra-low voice speech input in public and mobile situations, without disturbing surrounding people.

Although having a published patent describing it does not necessarily mean that Microsoft will actually implement this new type of voice command input, the important thing is that Redmond has thought about helping its users not looking weird when talking to their phones or laptops in public.

And, Microsoft seems to be the only one who thought about such a solution seeing that no other hardware or software manufacturer that I know of had this idea.

Silent voice commands could lead to larger-scale use of virtual assistants

Until now, the best alternative to whispered commands in a coffee shop I witnessed was a software that provided gesture command support via a Wii remote.

Furthermore, the eventual adoption of this type of tech would be an essential step to a broader usage of voice commands because, as Microsoft says in its patent's description, "the voice input is still rarely used in public spaces, such as office or even homes. This is mainly because the voice leakage could disturb and even annoy surrounding people in quiet environment."

"On the other hand, there is still a risk of scattering private information to unintended audiences. These are not technical issues but social issues. Hence there is no easy fix even if voice recognition system performance is greatly improved," also states the patent.

Via Windows Central