Embedded Lab

Conversation analysis (CA) is a disciplined approach of studying natural conversations to understand how participants interact and respond in their turns at talk. The input data for CA is derived from audio or video recording of naturally occurring talk. Turn-taking is considered to be the basic unit of speech in CA. Rachel Yalisove has posted a new instructable about her turn-taking logger, an Arduino-controlled device to monitor and record  turn-takings in a 2-person conversation. The project uses two electret microphone modules with on-board amplifiers to sense the audio levels of the two persons participating in the conversation. The two microphone outputs are continuously monitored through two ADC channels of the Arduino board, which then differentiate between the speaker and hearer by comparing the two outputs. The length of each turn is computed using a timer routine. The turn-taking logger writes out these measurements in a text file on an SD card. A push switch is used in the project to control record and stop operation, while two LEDs are used to give a visual indication of who is talking at any particular moment.