What critical technological hurdle did John L. Kelly Jr. relate to at Bell Labs?

Answer

Parallel advancements in speech synthesis and recognition

John L. Kelly Jr. is mentioned specifically in the context of the parallel technological advancements occurring alongside Boies's work on DTMF interactivity. While Boies’s team focused on the input mechanism (DTMF interpretation), the 'Voice' component of IVR—the output mechanism—involved simultaneous, related advancements in speech synthesis and recognition. Kelly Jr.'s connection lies within this broader scope of work at Bell Labs that was necessary to develop the machine's ability to speak back to the user, which is a prerequisite for a truly interactive voice system.

What critical technological hurdle did John L. Kelly Jr. relate to at Bell Labs?
inventionsystemvoiceIVR