IBM Shoebox

The IBM shoebox was a 1961 IBM computer that was able to perform mathematical functions and perform speech recognition. It recognized 16 spoken words and the digits 0 through 9.[1]

History

It was displayed at the IBM Pavilion during the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.[1]

It was approximately the size and shape of a standard American shoebox. It had a display of ten small lamp lights labeled with the digits 0 through 9 and an attached microphone. Speaking the name of the digit into the microphone would cause the appropriate digit lamp to light.[1]

Inside the box was a power supply, three analog audio filters and some (presumably) Diode-Resistor-Logic circuitry. The clever part of the design was in noticing that each digit name “Zero”, “One”, Two” … “Nine” had a front, middle, and ending sound. (Sometimes no middle). And that each sound was high pitched, middle pitched or low pitched. Example: “Five” is High-Middle-High. “Zero” is High-Middle-Low. The microphone was connected to the three audio filters for high, middle, and low pass. The filters latched the logic based decoder and switched one of the ten lamps.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "IBM Shoebox". IBM.

External links

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