Humming Control Interface for Hand-held Devices

This paper describes a control-by-humming interface in which a bluetooth-connected insertion earphone/microphone remotely controls a small portable system such as a modern assistive device, cell phone, etc. A pitch detection algorithm converts a subvocal hum input signal into pitch contours that are segmented into discrete "notes" and then grouped to form control commands. These commands cause transitions among operational states. An example application is given for hands-free control of a simplified (six-state) cell phone and music player system. Performance of the interface is discussed and future improvements are outlined.