Abstract: A control apparatus is provided for enabling a user to communicate by speech with processor-controlled apparatus (1) having a display (44) for displaying screens to a user, an audio input (42) for receiving speech data from the user and a pointing device (40) for providing data for enabling the screen location at which the user's attention is directed to be determined.

Abstract: The apparatus has a receiver (200) for receiving input events from at least two different modality modules (23 to 30); a plurality of instruction determining units (201b) each arranged to respond to a specific input event or specific combination of input events; and a supplier (201a) supplying events received by the receiver to the instruction determining units (23 to 30), wherein each instruction determining unit (23 to 30) is operable to supply a signal for causing a corresponding instruction to be issued when the specific input event or specific combination of input events to which that instruction determining unit is responsive is received by that instruction determining unit.

Abstract: A machine interface allows a user to select a machine operation. A plurality of questions are stored for output to a user. A score indicating the likelihood that the user will select a machine operation is stored for each corresponding machine operation. A next question for output to the user is selected from the stored questions by determining, for each of a plurality of the questions, an average of the least number of questions required to be answered by the user to arrive at each machine operation weighted by the respective scores, and selecting the question having the lowest average number. The selected question is output and an answer is received from the user. In response to the input answer a machine operation is carried out and/or the stored scores for each of the plurality of machine operations is adjusted. At least one further selection of a next question is then carried out for output to the user using the adjusted stored scores.