A MACHINE THAT CAN SPEAK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7363, 15 January 1902, Page 4

A MACHINE THAT CAN SPEAK.

A rtmirkable triumph in mechanical invention has just been achieved by Dr. Marage, who has succeeded in construct g n machine lint can utttr plainly and distinctly the five vowe s — a, p, i, o, v.

Although many attempta have bsen made at thip, it is only now that success has been attained, and before long we may expect to have a machine that can really talk.

Of couree, the phonograph is not a talking machine, because it merely gives off a record that has already bsen made upon a cylinder by an aotual human voice. Dr Marago'a machine, however, oreates the vowel sounds at first hand. .

This machine has been constructed so aa to reproduce the interior of a person's irouth while pronouncing the different vowels, u^ing the plastio subßtano9 employed by denfciat?. These false mouths, as it were, are made of plaster of Paris, and are fitted to sirens giving the appropriate combinations of sounds. Dr Marage then sets his machine in operation, and the vowels are produced synthetically. Dr Marage purposes to modify the steam sirens used on shipboard so that they will imitate the vowel

sounds Thus different phonetic syllables may be obtained which , may be used to form an international ) alphabet. » An important application of this synthetic process can be made in the j construction of ear trumpets that will not fatigue the deaf, because thoy will not modify the grouping of. oscillation adapted to the ear. Dr. ' Marago has also constructed the " acouometer," givinga typical sound of the vowel " a," for example, ) which may be used as a standard to ' which certain other sounds may b© referred. i

Thus there are far great r possibilities tor this self - talking machine than appear from a first glance at it. Now that it is possible to make exact mechanical reproductions of the human mouth with pliable lips, perfect teeth, and all the wonderful inner mechanism, it will be possible to use the3e mech anical word-producerp on a magnified scale on steamships at night and in fogs, and many disasters may thereby be averted. At present Dr. Marage is engaged in perfecting his invention and studying particularly those words in the production of which the cheeks play, a more or less important part, for in this direction he feels he has not yet achieved perfection — Daily Mail.