Internet of Things
Why voice-enabled smart speakers had their biggest year yet
Tali Chen, corporate vice president corporate development & chief evangelist at DSP Group talks about the rise in smart voice-enabled devices
U
.S. consumers bought an estimated 14 million voice-controlled smart speakers with personal assistants in 2016, and at the beginning of 2017, 49 per cent of U.S. broadband households were using a personal assistant through an application or dedicated device. Voice is quickly becoming the preferred method of communication between consumers and their smart devices, and this rise in voice user interfaces (VUI) is changing the way people interact with machines. Products
devices the natural next step. Crisp, natural communication and consistent accuracy has been hard to achieve, but technological developments have proven that VUI can attain a comprehensive communication range and an interference- free spectrum band that enables devices to listen at scale.
One noteworthy example of cutting- edge VUI comes from Libre Wireless Technologies. The LibreSync platform incorporates unique media streaming
voice-recognition cloud service provider in China dedicated to the research and development of intelligent speech and language technologies, artificial intelligence, and hardware and software for the government, education, and financial sectors, among other fields. At the core of iFLYTEK’s On-Device Speech Recognition Software is DSP Group’s SmartVoice SoC, which enables easy integration for developers with a substantially shorter development cycle, transforming virtually any device into a voice-activated solution for hands-free control.
In the past, the quality of smart devices
suffered because manufacturers were forced to choose between incorporating either noise isolation capabilities or voice intelligibility, but never both. When
technology that can enable voice activation to any device, whether it be a smartphone or a speaker, to enable seamless interactions between consumers and their smart home technologies. Philio-Tech, a company that develops
Internet of Things products such as network home gateways, temperature control management, intelligent sockets and lighting, and other intelligent home product solutions, is committed to Z- Wave, ZigBee, ULE, Wi-Fi, LoRa and other related technologies that will meet the future needs of the intelligent home. Their Philio-Tech voice assistant, which is powered by DSP Group’s ULE and SmartVoice technologies, is a tiny, battery- operated voice controlled personal assistant that can perform a huge variety
from Amazon, Google and Apple have moved voice control into the consumer consciousness, and user expectations are quickly expanding to demand voice as part of all smart home interactions. The rise in VUI is a result of advances in the communication range and reliability of smart devices.
During the first quarter of 2017, 27 per cent of consumers with a smart speaker and personal assistant reported that they regularly control their smart home devices with this device, and adoption of smart speakers with personal assistants among U.S. broadband households increased three percent from the first to the second quarter of 2017. This increase comes as no surprise as the current generation of tech- savvy consumers often rely on personal assistants and VUI to stay organised when they’re on-the-go. Consumers desire an easy and clear interaction with their devices, making the desire to speak with
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technology, scalable mic-to-cloud voice processing modules and broad mobile platform ecosystem support. In this specific case, Libre is using DSP Group’s SmartVoice technology for its fully integrated LS5BV LibreSync voice and media streaming module. DSP Group’s DBMD5 audio system-on-chip (SoC) solution helps Libre deliver superior voice recognition and processing capabilities, regardless of device distance or ambient noise, by leveraging voice enhancement algorithms, including acoustic echo cancellation, noise suppression, beam- forming and far-field support. The voice enhancement processing integrated in the DBMD5 chip allows devices to actively listen for the right voice commands and process incoming triggers, enabling clearer communication for the end user and accuracy in high-noise environments. iFLYTEK is another company at the forefront of VUI innovation — a leading
deployed on microphone-enabled devices, DSP Group’s SmartVoice solution allows for both capabilities on a single machine, providing a stronger overall user experience for those speaking to their smart devices. In addition, the SmartVoice chip’s small footprint enables it to be easily embedded in a wide range of devices, including tablets, smart speakers and other microphone-equipped IoT devices. In addition to VUI being the preferred mode of interaction for personal assistants on portable devices, over one-third of U.S. broadband households find it very appealing to use voice in order to control smart home devices or entertainment devices. Furthermore, 53 per cent of U.S. broadband households that own a smart home device also have a smart speaker with a personal assistant, with only 16 per cent owning a smart home device without a voice-based device in the home. This speaks to the importance of having
of tasks such as checking the weather at a destination you are planning to visit, or turning on the lights at home as you arrive. DSP Group’s SmartVoice offering provides the far-field multi-mic noise suppression, barge-in, beam forming and “always-on” voice functionality previously mentioned. DSP Group’s ULE offering provides an interference-free band, outstanding range, low-power consumption, robust and secure RF channels, and natural support of two-way voice. The natural support of two-way voice is significant because it’s ideal for carrying voice wirelessly, and together with the SmartVoice solution, it transforms any device into a voice-enabled product. It is no accident that 2017 was the
greatest year for VUI, but we expect this record won’t last long. With communication range and reliability of algorithms on the rise, the increasing prevalence of smart devices with voice capabilities will follow. Look for 2018 to be another banner year in voice recognition.
www.dspg.com Components in Electronics March 2018 35
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