One of the main input devices to computerized systems is Voice Recognition Systems (VRS). VRS is best suited for applications where job functions require more than two hands to be performed. The performance of VRS is highly dependent on the environment's noise. The higher the noise level the lower the recognition capability. Automatic lip reading through vision systems have been utilized to improve the recognition capability in noisy environments. However, this approach is costly and time-consuming.

The objective of this thesis was to investigate the utilization of an Infrared sensor for automatic lip reading to improve the recognition performance of VRS. The developed system is cheaper and faster than other automatic lip readers. The test results of fifty words and eleven digits indicated that the method has good repeatability, and good character recognition, while not dependent on or sensitive to the ambient light level. Although speaker independence was tested, the results are inconclusive.