NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Images show Clarissa team at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., which developed 'Clarissa Spoken Dialogue System.' Clarissa software was loaded on an International Space Station (ISS) laptop computer for tests during space flight in 2005. An astronaut is slated to chat with 'Clarissa,' a female voice - integrated with the software -- will guide him through a complex series of tasks.

During the test, Clarissa was scheduled to lead an astronaut through potable water analysis procedures that normally take about 2-1/2 hours to complete without the dialogue system. Scientists compare task completions with and without the use of Clarissa to determine if the verbal system could increase astronaut efficiency.

Many space station checklists are very long and complex with many branches, which often require 'fill-in-the-blank' answers. Scientists designed Clarissa to be a general purpose 'procedure reader,' so that adding new procedures would be relatively easy.

	Manny Raynar + View Larger Image
	Barney Pell, Kim Farrell + View Larger Image
	Barney Pell, Kim Farrell + View Larger Image
	Beth Ann Hockey, Manny Reynar + View Larger Image
	Beth Ann Hockey, Kim Farrell + View Larger Image
	Beth Ann Hockey, Kim Farrell + View Larger Image
	Manny Raynar, Barney Pell + View Larger Image
	Manny Raynar, Barney Pell + View Larger Image
	Screen shots, Clarissa software + View Larger Image
	Screen shots, Clarissa software + View Larger Image
	Screen shots, Clarissa software + View Larger Image
	Screen shots, Clarissa software + View Larger Image
	Screen shots, Clarissa software + View Larger Image
	Screen shots, Clarissa software + View Larger Image

NASA Ames Research Center, Dom Hart