Sensory Unveils VoiceHub Portal for Flexible Wake Word and Voice UI Model Development

For those product categories that require simple voice interfaces completely implemented on-device, or for developers at the testing stages of a new voice UI, there is now a fast, free and flexible solution. Sensory, the Silicon Valley company pioneering AI at the edge and the de facto standard for enabling a voice UI on apps and devices, unveiled VoiceHub, a new online portal that enables developers to quickly create wake word models and voice control command sets for prototyping and proof-of-concept purposes.

Alexa! OK Google! Hey Siri! Did we get your attention? If we were to have read that aloud most of us would have our favorite robot voice asking us what we want. Whether it is Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or another assistant, voice commands are the logical next step in user interfaces (UI). The uptake in the market has been extremely good for these devices. However, deployment has exposed some major issues with this technology. In this article I'm going to discuss the Syntiant NDP 10x processor and how it solves the aforementioned challenges.

Sensory announced new capabilities for TrulyHandsfree, the company’s widely-deployed wake word engine for voice assistants, adding support for multiple wake words from any combination of leading platforms, custom branded wake words, small vocabulary command sets or even user defined wake words where the end user can create their own phrase. This technology supports Amazon's Voice Interoperability Initiative (VII) announced in September 2019.

Amazon, Baidu, Sony, BMW, Microsoft, Bose, Tencent, Orange, Salesforce, Harman, Logitech, Verizon, Sonos, Spotify, Sound United, and more are joining forces to promote choice by supporting multiple, interoperable voice services on a single device. The idea is to offer multiple, simultaneous wake words, so users can access multiple voice services by simply saying the corresponding wake word – from Alexa and Cortana to Orange’s Djingo, Salesforce’s Einstein, and more.

Sensory, the originator of wake words for personal assistants, raised the performance bar for always-listening wake word and speech recognition with significant upgrades to the embedded AI in its sixth generation of TrulyHandsfree, boosting the technology's already industry-leading wake word performance and accuracy by more than 65 percent. The new solution introduces upgraded turn-key voice interface solutions for devices of all shapes, sizes and power requirements.

Because every R&D department in the planet is currently looking at implementing voice, and everyone's looking at audioXpress for guidance on how to design a smart speaker, in this edition Kevin Connor, shares his insider knowledge on the topic. Connor, a Cirrus Logic engineer, explains how to provide audio and voice solutions, and design products that sound great and respond reliably to voice commands, regardless of backend service. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2018.