Every time a device listens, responds or understands a spoken command, it draws from a lineage shaped by Wanda Gass.

Gass, who was inducted into the Consumer Technology (CT) Hall of Fame in 2022, played a pivotal role in the development of the digital signal processor (DSP) and early speech recognition technologies — foundational innovations that made today’s voice controlled products possible. From smartphones and smart speakers to hearing aids and connected vehicles, modern voice interfaces trace their roots back to her work.

That transformation began in 1982, when the first commercially successful DSP chips entered the market. This moment marked the shift of digital signal processing from theory to scalable, real world application. Beginning with that era, the technologies Gass helped advance evolved into the backbone of how machines interpret sound, images and data, capabilities that now underpin voice recognition, media compression and AI.

At the center of that evolution was the Texas Instruments TMS320xx DSP product line, which was rapidly adopted across commercial and consumer applications. These processors enabled everything from hard disk drives and cellular towers to the compression and storage of digital movies, music and images, fundamentally reshaping consumer technology.

Each year, the reach of her work is unmistakable on the CES® show floor. Every voice activated product showcased at CES builds on the technical groundwork Gass helped establish, even if users never see the processor powering it. Her contributions don’t just influence a category; they underpin an entire industry.

That continuity between past and future is central to CES and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®. CES brings inventors, engineers, founders and policymakers into the same space, creating rare opportunities for cross generational knowledge exchange. And the CT Hall of Fame serves as both recognition and roadmap — highlighting not only what innovation has achieved, but who made it possible and why it matters.

Beyond the technology itself, Gass’s career also broke barriers. As a patent holding inventor in a field where women were historically underrepresented, she helped pave the way for generations of engineers who followed. Her work stands as both a technical achievement and a reminder of who gets to shape the future of innovation. Hint: anyone willing to imagine and build it.

By elevating leaders like Wanda Gass, CTA reinforces a powerful idea: the most transformative technologies don’t emerge in isolation. They take shape through communities that value curiosity, rigor and inclusion. At CES, emerging innovators can see their work as part of a much longer arc — one that connects foundational breakthroughs to what comes next.