Digital Voice Technology Development

This proposal contains a novel speech watermarking method for digital voice technology. A feature-based framework is presented for pitch modification to embed and extract data into speech for the purpose of authentication and fingerprinting. During the decoding process the receiver is able to validate the message extracted from the speech signal for a reliable means of transferring data. With the ability for a simple integration of the proposed technology into the existing and future ATC voice communication infrastructure, the proposed speech watermarking method has the ability to ameliorate the safety and data integrity of the ATC voice communication system. BENEFITS: D3 Engineering has completed product design for several wired, wireless, and cellular communication systems. The technology developed in this SBIR has several potential applications. D3 plans to leverage this technology to provide safe and secure communication for our customers. The technology developed from this proposal shall be compatible with the existing ATC voice communication equipment in the aircraft and on the ground. The intent is that this technology takes on a footprint that is an add-on device to the existing certified equipment. Ideally the footprint is realizable in a form that it can be built into a pilot headset and pin-compatible to existing headsets. In any case the current aircraft and air controller equipment remains unchanged and only the headset or the equipment it interfaces will need modification for integration of this concept. An alternative deployment is to implement the proposed method as a software module. This could include integration with a speech codec. Eurocontrol Experimental Center continues to investigate a means of speech authentication for ATC voice communications. The proposed method has several advantages in comparison to technologies that the Eurocontrol Experimental Center has considered. D3 Engineering is also going to market the speech watermarking technology to developers of military radios used for voice and data communications. This technology may also be marketed to address authentication and fingerprinting issue in the growing market of VoIP and cell phones.