WOBURN, Mass., June 26 -- Hasbro, Inc., one of the world's leading toy and game companies, has begun shipping its new "ALOHA STITCH" interactive toy with speech recognition software from Voice Signal(TM) Technologies. Inspired by the mischievous character in Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature film "LILO & STITCH," "ALOHA STITCH" uses Voice Signal's MicroREC(TM) software to recognize spoken phrases, and then immediately responds with an appropriate action or reply. Released Friday, June 21, "LILO & STITCH" grossed $35.8 million dollars over the weekend, according to Disney.
"ALOHA STITCH," reflects the two-sided personality of the intergalactic fugitive from "LILO & STITCH." Depending on whether he is in a good mood or a bad mood, "ALOHA STITCH" responds to over a dozen spoken phrases with one of 35 different lovable or a feisty responses -- and even tells knock-knock jokes. Because he is so unpredictable, kids will never know what he will say next.
A Richer Play Experience
"Speech is a very natural way for kids to interact with their toys," said Wayne Luther, Hasbro's senior vice president of New Technology Development and Concept Acquisitions. "While speech output has been part of toys for years, integrating Voice Signal's speech input and recognition into 'ALOHA STITCH' has enabled us to create a much richer play experience for kids. We are very excited about the possibilities for using speech recognition to make toys even more interactive in the future."
"We are extremely pleased that Hasbro has selected Voice Signal's MicroREC speech recognition software for this product," commented Stewart Sims, Voice Signal's executive vice president of marketing. "Hasbro has a well-deserved reputation for creating fun, innovative, quality products, and we are delighted that they have chosen Voice Signal to supply the speech recognition software that increases the interactivity of their toys and brings 'ALOHA STITCH' to life."
About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. More information is available at: www.hasbro.com.
About Voice Signal Technologies
Established in 1995, Voice Signal Technologies, Inc., is a privately held company based in Woburn, Massachusetts. The company specializes in developing state-of-the art speech interface solutions for mobile devices and electronic entertainment products. Additional information about the company is available at: www.voicesignal.com.
