Superior Speech Recognition
For 40+ years, UFA has led the aviation industry in speech recognition technology. The fundamentally superior functionality that supports all UFA products goes well beyond competitors to achieve the greatest possible accuracy.
Built specifically for UFA products by the award-winning researchers at Raytheon BBN, the speech recognition component of each of our solutions is a proprietary technology that provides voice recognition control for all of UFA’s products, including ATCoach,® ATTower,® ATWorld, ATLIVE, ATVehicle and ATSpeak. Trained on air traffic management language, our speech recognition provides up to 98% accuracy and infuses all of our technology with the capability to recognize language with a wide range of accents, audio qualities, and speed.
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According to the FAA, automatic speech recognition techniques play a "crucial role" in "enhancing safety for air traffic control (ATC) in terminal environments." UFA's standout capabilities set us apart and set a higher standard for safety across the aviation industry.
Speech Recognition and Real-Time Response
UFA's product, called ATVoice®, is a highly customizable voice application that supports both speech recognition and real-time Text-to-Speech feedback. It interprets spoken commands, applies them to the simulation, and generates appropriate pilot responses based on scenario data and simulation state.
Designed to meet specific phraseology requirements, ATVoice supports English ICAO, FAA 7110.65, and custom phraseology sets. It provides full coverage for a wide range of controller positions, including Delivery, Planner, Ground, Local, Approach, En Route, SRA, PAR, and GCI.
ATVoice provides a versatile mixed mode feature, enabling simultaneous operation alongside simulation pilots.
Users can assign male and female voices with distinct accents, adjust speech rate, volume, and pronunciation, and integrate aircraft-specific cabin noise for enhanced realism. The system currently supports bilingual recognition for English and German.
Use Cases in ATC
ATVoice is successfully used by customers across high-fidelity simulators, mobile setups, and cloud-based environments, showcasing its versatility and adaptability across platforms. Its use with UFA's simulators has been authorized by the relevant regulator, highlighting its compliance and reliability.
It offers different recognition modes tailored to specific use cases. The restricted recognition mode ensures strict adherence to the standards set by the training organization, while the statistical, unrestricted mode provides the flexibility needed for trainees at the very beginning of their training.
This versatile solution effectively supports ATC trainees at various stages of their development while also providing essential assistance to experienced ATC controllers during mandatory contingency, refresher, and fallback trainings.
