Siri is inspiring many industries, including the automobile one.

Within a year, cars will be able to use vehicle voice recognition to make appointments. Automakers and service providers are rapidly improving vehicles’ ability to recognize and understand natural language commands.

The capability of voice recognition already exists with smartphones, but cannot work yet in a car without a clunky, multistep conversation, according to Ed Chrumka, senior product manager for the connect car for Nuance (News - Alert), a developer of voice technology.

“Everyone has their eyes on the goal to have these natural interactions,” said Chrumka.

Automakers face numerous technological and regulatory impediments as they introduce increasingly complex voice-controlled and touch-screen technology into vehicles.

Governments across the globe have tried to crack down on distracted driving by passing laws prohibiting motorists from using handheld devices while operating their vehicles, but automakers continue to innovate ways for drivers to access the Internet, email and entertainment options.

Voice recognition technologies for infotainment systems aim to present information from smartphones and similar devices in a safe way.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has challenged executives from all the major automakers to make safety a priority as they introduce more infotainment services in new vehicles.

In related news, Plum Voice, a provider of interactive voice response (IVR) and survey technology, studies the ways in which companies can most effectively communicate with their customers as well as evaluate internal efficiency and responses to customer concerns.