Auricle is designed to allow users of networked computer workstations to communicate with one another using their voices and ears. Some computer workstations come equipped with hardware that allows them to be equipped with a microphone and loudspeaker. Auricle is a collection of computer programs that can record a person's voice, transmit the voice information over a computer network, and then play it back over the loudspeaker attached to a different workstation.
In order to use Auricle, a user speaks into a microphone in a manner
similar to using a tape recorder. However, instead of the voice information
being recorded on tape, it is stored in the workstation. The information
is then processed by the workstation in various ways, and is then transmitted
over a computer network to a different workstation at another location.
When the second workstation receives the information from the first workstation,
it processes the information so that it is suitable for human ears, and
then plays back the original voice message over its loudspeaker.