xcore-voice is a voice processor designed to enable product designers to deliver voice interfaces cheaply and cost-effectively, without sacrificing audio quality. The solution deploys the company’s far-field voice processing algorithms in a cost-effective, customizable package.
Freeing up the voice processing workload from the SoC, the versatile platform behaves like a voice processor that enables product designers to deliver voice interfaces quickly and cost effectively. Turnkey example designs within the xcore-voice solution leverage the processor capabilities through the xcore platform software, providing the building blocks for a wide range of applications.
xcore-voice’s low-power architecture minimizes power consumption. By offering a true standby mode, xcore-voice delivers the ‘always-on’ functionality required in many modern electronics at <55mW, and in line with EU energy-saving regulations. Application-specific software components such as tunable algorithms, and core application software components such as FreeRTOS, are readily available to take advantage of.
And xcore-voice’s combination of general purpose DSP, AI, and IO processing can be customized in software – drastically reducing the time-to-market for custom silicon. Integration pathways have been simplified for designers while still offering a complete, BOM-optimised solution for turnkey integration.
This is a software-defined, low-power voice solution that addresses multiple markets. High performance DSP algorithms are used to extract human speech from noisy environments at distance, while simultaneously running AI payloads such as wake words and speech recognition. The audio front end incorporates far-field voice processing, on/off-line voice command recognition and turnkey example designs that enable product designers to deliver ‘across-the-room’ voice interfaces quickly and cost-effectively with optimal audio quality.
Crucially, the xcore-voice platform provides a natural voice interface that is capable of delivering local command recognition – minimizing the need for the cloud that not only enables better user experience through lower latency and enhanced privacy but also further saving cost and power requirements in product designs. This has the potential to unleash a new era of voice-based user experience for the next generation of ‘smart’ electronics.
Given the inherent performance and flexibility of xcore-voice, the platform can be deployed in a myriad of home electronics, including: appliances, smart TVs and soundbars, smart lighting and power switches, fitness machines, consumer toys, and smart home gateways.
"As consumers, we’re more and more acclimatized to the use of voice technologies in our everyday lives – and that makes us more aware of their limitations," comments Aneet Chopra, EVP Marketing and Product Management, XMOS. "In order to avoid falling behind rival products, product designers need to be able to deliver ‘across-the-room’ voice interfaces that offer the best possible quality, without compromising on speed-to-market or cost.
"xcore-voice is purpose-built to tackle that challenge. The level of customization we’re delivering in such a cost-effective and power-friendly package accelerates development without cutting corners. It means we can offer designers the capacity to experiment with and reiterate their designs at pace – enabling them to easily respond to a rapidly evolving market. All of this while maintaining the privacy of the end user."
According to the Bristol-based company, Xcore-voice will be readily available from April 15, with the voice evaluation kit and explorer board evaluation kit – the XK-VOICE-L71 and XK-EVK-XU316, respectively – already available via Digi-Key.
www.xmos.ai
