Speech synthesis and recognition used for the operator's communication with expert systems supporting power system control

From expert systems employed as decision support tools for power system operation the control room personnel as users justifiably expect that the communication with such kind of `intelligent' software is convenient and effective. This also implies that oscillating the operator's view between the expert system's surface and the power system control desk will distract the attention from the performance and reactions of the power system itself. Therefore, an acoustic communication between operator and supporting expert system has been realized, based on existing systems for both speech synthesis and recognition. The approach was firstly experienced by application to an expert system for power system restoration training.