] ... teaching computers to read lips might boost the accuracy
] of automatic speech recognition. Listeners naturally use
] mouth movements to help them understand the difference
] between "bat" and "pat," for instance. If distinctions
] like this could be added to a computer's databank with
] the aid of cheap cameras and powerful processors, speech
] recognition software might work a lot better, even in
] noisy places.

A good step, but ultimately one would want to include gestures and other elements of "body language".

Beyond Voice Recognition, to a Computer That Reads Lips