Voice commands poised to be the next big thing, say experts

The Amazon Echo, a voice-controlled virtual assistant, is seen at it's product launch for Britain and Germany in London, Britain, September 14, 2016. REUTER/Peter Hobson

Voice commands are to play a central role in the operation of technology very soon, industry experts say. 

This year, computers will be able to understand spoken words just as well as actual people, said Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the US electronics group Consumer Technology Association (CTA), speaking just before the recent CES electronics fair in Las Vegas.