Vendor page
Speech recognition (IBM Heritage: Shoebox)
IBM, IBM, 2026
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- IBM's own history page on Shoebox, the experimental speech recognizer William C. Dersch introduced in 1961, which understood spoken digits and a few arithmetic commands and drove an adding machine.
- How much weight it carries
- A company history page about IBM's own product, consistent with other accounts of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair demonstration. Treat its 'world's first' framing as IBM's own; Bell Labs had demonstrated digit recognition earlier.
Facts taken from this source
- IBM says engineer William C. Dersch introduced its experimental Shoebox machine at a press conference in 1961.
“In 1961, William C. Dersch, an engineer with IBM’s Advanced Systems Development Division, held a press conference to introduce Shoebox, an experimental machine created to recognize the human voice.” (Main text)
- IBM says Shoebox appeared on the Today show and at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair after its 1961 press conference.
“During subsequent appearances on the Today show and at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, observers marveled at Dersch’s unassuming device” (Main text)
- IBM says earlier speech recognition machines required as many as 200 transistors per word.
“Earlier speech-recognition machines, by contrast, required as many as 200 transistors per word.” (Advanced circuitry section)
- IBM says Shoebox's circuitry required only 31 transistors.
“Shoebox’s small size was made possible by its advanced circuitry. It required only 31 transistors” (Advanced circuitry section)
- IBM says Shoebox was capable of understanding the numbers zero through nine and six command words, including plus, minus, total and subtotal.
“capable of understanding the numbers zero through nine and six command words, including “plus,” “minus,” “total” and “subtotal.”” (Main text)