INVENTION’S MARCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23703, 10 January 1939, Page 8

INVENTION’S MARCH

A little more noise in a world that has already become supremely noisy will perhaps not be very much noticed. Therefore the report that an amazing machine which creates “ human ” speech has been demonstrated to astonished scientists by telephone laboratory engineers in Philadelphia need not possibly cause any serious perturbation. It is no doubt a glorious achievement that the dexterous operator, by the manipulation of keys and pedal, should be able to make the machine sing or speak—so it is said—in any inflection and in any language. It must be gratifying also that he should be able to do justice to the expressive vocabulary of our friends of the animal kingdom, meaning, presumably, that he can make the machine bark and growl, and neigh and bleat, and trill, and roar like a lion. The wonder of the reproduction of the voice of man, woman, or child by electrical oscillation can only be tempered by the reflection, which is every day brought home more plainly, that we live in a very wonderful age. Not very long ago it was reported that a mechanical lie-detector —an improvement apparently upon the discovery of a “ truth-drug ” —had been used in an American court. The details of its application were unfortunately not supplied. Man is the victim as well as the beneficiary of his inventions. Where they may lead him he does not know, neither does he apparently care. As regards the “ human ” speech creating machine —a rather terrifying variant at first glance upon others of its kidney—there is a certain consolation in the assurance that it takes about eighteen months to learn the operating technique. People of quiet mind will hope that it may never take less.