Simon Says - Voice Activated PC Commander

Emulate and create macros for your keyboard, mouse and joystick (steering wheels and game pads) with your voice commands.

Project started in 2007, last updated Sept 2, 2009.

My goal is eventually to to be able to use the computer without using my hands and not having to buy expensive input devices made for disabled people (if a person has a disability who cannot use their hand or hands but can still speak at a couple words at a time, this may be the perfect software for them too), my solution needs to be able to use hardware devices that most computers already have.

The reason I started this software was due to fear of possibly not being able to use my right hand in the future anymore as even after 10 years of programming as I am suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome to the point I need controlled pain killers just to do some programming or even going through the hundreds of emails I get. It was obvious that I needed to do less typing and mouse moving/clicking. This software can reduce stress from repetitive mouse usage (wrist injury risk, less finger clicking) and too much keyboard typing (reduce the typing needed), it can save money down the road in medical procedures and medicine costs (already my doctor has suggested surgery), maybe even prevent a work related injury (prevent law suits or time off for sick time due to hand pain)!

After a couple weeks of programming this software, I had it ready to start using for some basic voice commands (already had access to only 50 commandable mouse clicking/moving and keyboard stroke events, also had ability to open files or browse web sites by voice) and set it up to help me with programming more on the exact same software! Now months later, I still use it to help make the software better. Must be useful if it is helping to create it's self!

Already are included many sample templates to get you going and to see how things work, you can even change them using just notepad (simple database using TAB delimited text files, each line contains 3 fields). You may never need to make your own custom scripts as I provide the useful ones I have used myself. You can also visit our homepage for more scripts or submit your own!

Screenshots:

Main program.	Script/template editor.	Program settings.

Download:

Setup.exe (6MB) and you may need the drivers (or download complete 40MB package HERE). Expires 12/30/2009

Here are just some of the features:

• Talk your way to running DOS command batch files (*.CMD, *.BAT) or run DOS commands.
• Push any combination of keyboard keys with your voice.
• Surf the net with your voice. Go to web pages, close, page up/down, refresh, go home, open favorites, go back/forward, etc... Customize completely to your liking or use our sample templates.
• Work with open running applications. Close, maximize, minimize, hide, etc any program windows in focus.
• Make your input devices programmable! Make a GamePad button a mouse event, hotkey or a macro. Make your keyboard also a mouse. Remap keys and buttons on your keyboards, joysticks/gamepads, steering wheels and mice.
• Make your infrared Wii game controller (respond to IR signals from hand-held remote controls via WinLIRC client to say make your PC shutdown with a TV remote control) into a useful productive tool.
• Work with files by voice. Rename, delete, move, copy, run, find, replace, etc...
• Programmable programming by voice. Many great uses for programmers, trust me, I am a programmer (this software helped me program half of this very same software)! You could make a common code chunk pasted with full editing by a simple voice command you can custom program yourself.
• Open any Windows executable (*.EXE) with simple spoken phrases!
• Run batches of commands with a small spoken word phrase.
• Open files with other programs (example open a document with MS Word, open a playlist with WinAmp).
• Open ANY media files (*.MPG, *.MP3, *.AVI, *.MOV, *.PDF, *.WAV, *.PLS, *.DIVX), as long as these files will open in a player when double clicked on, then you are set to go!
• Use your webcam as a mouse by waving around your arms or moving your feet, an another alterative input device.
• Use an old mouse as a foot pedal button controllerl.
• Make voice commands to adjust system settings like volume, screen resolutions, etc.
• Move your mouse and simulate mouse clicks by voice command (free scripts provided to use Joy Stick and/or Number Pad for emulating mouse clicks and movement)! From moving a single pixel to jumping half way across the screen.
• Fill forms by mouth, voice dictate straight  into any program, document or web page running and in focus.
• Dictate by mouth, use the Dictator application (included) to dictate a text file, then save. Or you can minimize the Dictator program and dictate into your favorite word processor or data entry software.
• Wscript Shell Run command line can be run (only a single line of code), great for using like the RUN command window and running DOS commands.
• Run HTML Applications (*.HTA), JAVA applications, Windows scripts and/or any software (installed on the same computer)  from your voice command.
• Make a voice command to post your address. Great for bloggers, this tool can help with posting blog URLs, emails, link tags and more! Do not make automated spam bots (enough spammers already), it's against our Terms & Conditions and may be illegal in your area!
• Run multiple lined VBscript script files (*.VBS, think if it as a "subtemplate" or an include file) can be run providing almost unlimited control over Microsoft Windows operating system, almost endless possibilities! I used to make most of macros for DOS and opening links/apps just with VBscript before I started using this voice command/dictating software. Thousands of premade scripts are available on the internet. "VBscripting" is so powerful that many viruses use it to hack/compromise computer systems and get by most defences (firewalls, spyware detectors, virus scanners, etc), so be careful what you run (do not purposely create a malicious virus, it may infect you and may be illegal to do in your country).
• Run/play AutoHotKey script files (*.AHK, a "sub-template"), a voice command starts them for you. Allows for multi lined macro file playing on voice demand (many commands and scripts). You can make your own advanced hotkey macros (auto clickers, form fillers, click OK button, force shutdown, etc). Many possibilities and combinations possible! http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl:autohotkey.net+filetype:ahk&num=50&filter=0
• Macro recorder addon for AutoHotKey. Records mouse clicks, mouse movements/positions/clicks, key board strokes, window focusing and more.
• Create customized data entry forms, user interfaces (GUI), and menu bars.
• Expand abbreviations as you type them. For example, typing "lol" can automatically produce "laugh out loud".
• Uses free Microsoft speech recognition and voice synthesis engines (like SAPI SDK downloads, need to install these these extra drivers for everything to work well) so you do not have to pay for other third party speech engines that have been under development less longer. This keeps the software production cost down drastically as I do not have to program this myself and this would be a year of work at least to create my own speech engine!
• Text to speech, type in some text (or import a story book, 25 books included) and hear it play aloud. You can also command a small voice phrase command to read a clump of large text (example, voice command "Say Poem" would speak out loud with speech synthesis and say "Roses are red, violets are blue. Sugar is sweet and so are you!") to say tell a joke or tell the current system time. Let it run when you leave your computer to record conversations you missed to unformatted text clumps (spaces between words recognized).
• Create your own templates of voice commands. They can be saved (*.POZ) and reloaded at another time.
• Report errors in our public HELP forums. Someone may respond, but do not expect it the same day.
• Share (download or upload) free or "for profit" (yes, you could earn money if you have a PayPal account, but I get a 10% "finders fee") scripts in our Script section.
• The free freeware demo version only allows for the first 50 commands to be loaded (this could be 50 commands to open files or run other multi lined scripts) and may have sponsor ads show up inside as part of the software. 50 commands will be enough for the average user who had full use of their hands. The full version (sponsor ad free, no sponsor ads) has no limits to the amount of spoken commands allowed, but if you email us proof that you are physically disabled, we will give you a free copy of the full version (I do not wish to profit from disabled persons). Even beggers can get a free version, just beg (also tell us how the demo version has been useful to you, basically prove you like it and inspire me by telling me what tasks you want it for).

Examples of file types that can be run by voice prompt:

As long as Windows XP knows what to do with the file extension, it can be opened with our voice commanding application (if you have PhotoShop installed, then *.PSD files can be opened or if you have Microsoft Excel installed, then *.XLS files are "openable"). Some sample extensions are DOC, EXE, HTA, VBS, COM, BAT, CMD, MP3, AVI, ASF, WMV, CHM, HLP, REG, EMF, JSE, VBE, WSF, WSH (Windows Scripting Host), WSC, AHK, SCT, ZIP, CLP, MID, MSI, RTF, WRI, WAV, TXT, SCR (screen savers), JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, PIF, LOG, INI, JS, HTM, HTML, MHT, ETC...

Why is the full version software so cheap?

You only have to pay $6.95 ($4.95 with coupon code) for the instant full download retail version or $14.95 (plus shipping & handling) for the complete CD (includes all needed drivers pre-downloaded and ready to install, I even made an installer that auto runs from CD, you just have to follow the steps). If the shipping is a concern and you know how to burn or use an *.ISO file, you can buy the CD-ROM image for $12.95 (no shipping & handling prices, immediate download).

I make a commission off the scripts that other people sell, this helps keep the costs down (can even offer a limited free demo version now). I figured that people usually come up with really cool ideas but do not want to share them as it took them so long to accomplish their goal (that's how I am anyhow). So I let them sell their template source code at their rate or they can give it to the code repository as freeware (free to download and edit).

The public helped with BETA testing and future error reports and complaints will help me make the software better. This cooperation keeps costs down as I do not have to buy 50 different computer systems (varying in age and Windows OS version) to test it on.

Sponsor ads on the web pages help pay the internet bills. Possible sponsor ads embedded in the freeware software (may not contain an ad, depends on the build/version) may give me a tiny income.

Also, this has been a one man (plus thousands of others who contributed the code for free Microsoft speech engines, free VBscripts, DOS batch files, freeware AutoHotKey open-source software and  files, etc) project and I do not have to pay any employees or marketing teams (I sell the software on EBay).

You are basically getting over 200 hours of my time (or more by now) for less then ten bucks (that's about 1 cent an hour)!