The Future of Train Control ?

[Madann01]

Spent the evening at my daughters yesterday, and was subjected to the new trend of controlling the home by voice command. "Alexa turn down the lights" " Alexa turn up the heating" "Alexa play Christmas music" and so on.
Question to you technophobes' out there. How far are we away from being able to control our layouts with voice commands???

[Bealman]

Easy answer...

Why would you want to do so?

I've crashed more trains into the buffers at the terminus on my layout than I care to remember, so what would happen with:

"A schooner of Victoria Bitter please?"

It ain't ever going to happen 

[Bob Tidbury]

If I had the money I would like to place a bet on that Bealman . I have allready seen radio controlled N gauge    NOT D C C  or controlled by your phone but a remote control   and from quite a distance . Receiver was admittedly in a wagon permanently coupled to the loco.
How long ago did we say we will never get sound locos in N gauge or even D C C come to that.
Bob Tidbury

[Bealman]

Bob, it's only since I got this forum that I was aware there was a such a thing as N gauge DCC! 

[Madann01]

I presume the answer to 'why would you want too' could be 'because we can' no doubt someone somewhere will get some enjoyment out of being able to say "run train A from point B to point C stopping at D, points would all be set for correct route and speed controlled automatically with failsafe's in place, ( don't we have some of these controls in place already?)

All we need to do is sit back and watch, with beer in one hand and watch the trains go rolling by! 

[njee20]

The technology to do it is out there now, but why would you want to? Voice commands would be a very blunt tool for something quite nuanced like controlling a train. "Slow down the EWS 66 by 3 speed steps... no, the other EWS 66... no, not the 60, the E-W-S 66 by 8 speed steps" *train ploughs into buffers*

Battery control is interesting, I'm not wholly sure it'll ever really get there in N, but for larger scales I can definitely see a benefit in a hybrid system - have all your pointwork 'dead' with batteries that mean locos can traverse without stalling, then charge on the plain trackwork.

DCC works very well IMO, I like the growing number of computer control options that are available now, and that you can use your phone/tablet if you're so inclined. There's technology for technology's sake, and I'd say voice activation is definitely in that camp!

What may be more useful (relative term) would be using smart sockets so you could say "Alexa, turn on my railway" and have everything power up. Indeed now I've said that I may use my Echo in the garage for exactly that, save crawling around underneath the layout switching sockets!

[railsquid]

I presume the answer to 'why would you want too' could be 'because we can' no doubt someone somewhere will get some enjoyment out of being able to say "run train A from point B to point C stopping at D, points would all be set for correct route and speed controlled automatically with failsafe's in place, ( don't we have some of these controls in place already?)

The building blocks exist already, "all" you'd need is to link up the voice recognition technology behind Alexa and other home-spyware to a computer-controlled system (JMRI, DCC, Arudino or whatever), and Robert is a sibling of one or both of your parents.

But I suspect you'd be limited to instructing the system to execute a very a precisely defined set of actions such as the above. And spend a lot of time dealing with niggles.

I'll stick to my analogue controllers with roundy roundy dials.

[Shropshire Lad]

There are too many control instruction possibilities for voice control to be practicable at the moment. Having said that I can see a use for the Stop function being voice controlled 

[emjaybee]

I find it incomprehensible that so many people are happy to have a 'permanently on' microphone listening to everything that is going on in their homes.

If people think that it is safe and secure, then have they learnt nothing from recent history?

'Cloud storage is safe and secure'. Err... no!

'Internet controlled cars can't be remotely hacked and controlled'. Err... no!

'Your data is safe on social media'. Err... no!

If the criminal element hasn't managed to harness Alexa, Google, Siri, Cortana, you can bet your life they're working on it.

Then there's a certain Eastern super-power that is definitely working on it. NASA, the NSA, the CIA and the FBI have all been hacked. Why would you think a voice operated device connected to your computer and by default the rest of the world would be safe. How many times have you read out your credit card numbers over the phone for something? So if it's within earshot of your Alexa....?

Imagine the horror of finding a Pendolino hauling GWR siphons on your North Eastern layout ANTI-CLOCKWISE!!!!

Aaaaaargh!!!!!



I need a lie down.

:'(

[Dizz]

Question to you technophobes' out there. How far are we away from being able to control our layouts with voice commands???

Already there with the Hornby Railmaster software: been available for a few years now.
Pete

[Buffin]

How about, "Alexa, clean my track"? 

[Madann01]

Serious point
Too late to worry about who's listening! Every electronic communication we make be it by phone email and even this forum is being monitored,  certain words or phrases set off a warning to whom ever is monitoring which has been useful for security purposes However there is a growing trend for advertiser's to use this technology, I have heard of people recieving messages from companies within minutes of having made phone calls mentioning products, items or services casually talked about between friends.

Hang on to them lead lined nucular bunkers we thought were surpplus following he cold war

[w greatbatch]

Hold on a bit !We are getting ahead of ourselves,we havn't got smoke or firebox glow yet.

[Madann01]

How about, "Alexa, clean my track"? 

Wishing my wife's name was 'Alexa'   

[Bealman]

Not to mention you may have to buy a packet of cornflakes, buy a new car,  or participate in a survey before you can start the loco on your layout