SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sensory, Inc. today announces the release of TrulyHandsfree Voice Control 2.0 with substantial improvements in accuracy and expanded voice interaction capabilities. TrulyHandsfree 1.0 introduced single voice trigger technology, used for initial voice activation of a device. TrulyHandsfree 2.0 builds upon this with multiple phrase technology that recognizes, analyzes and responds to dozens of keywords, enabling a voice user interface that is more natural and intuitive. Thanks to improved accuracy, 2.0 consistently recognizes phrases even when embedded in sentences and surrounded by noise. Smartphones, Bluetooth devices and consumer electronics for the home and the car will benefit greatly from these new capabilities. The technology is now available for Android™ environments with other platforms under review.
Most Accurate Speech Activation
Accuracy concerns have prevented mass adoption of voice trigger technology. The risk of false fires must be eliminated so the device doesn’t mistakenly activate when human speech or other sounds are heard and misrecognized as the trigger. Furthermore, performance should remain reliable in the noisiest of environments like cars or crowded living rooms. Sensory has perfected this approach. TrulyHandsfree 2.0 has proven to consistently and accurately respond in loud settings and has decreased false fires by 60% over TrulyHandsfree 1.0 which was already known as the industry’s best performing key word spotting technology.
Natural, Intuitive and Safe Voice User Interface
TrulyHandsfree 2.0 can be always-on and listening for dozens of keywords that will bring the device to life to be controlled via further voice commands. These keywords or phrases can be spoken in the middle of a sentence so users are not confined to a forced dialogue. In this scenario, consumers are communicating in a more human-like fashion, without the distraction and inconvenience of button presses. With TrulyHandsfree Voice Control, users are not required to hold the device to their mouth to deliver commands. The technology can respond to commands delivered as far as 20 feet away or in high noise conditions making it a perfect solution for controlling devices in the home while multitasking or in the car where users need to focus on driving.
Unique Expertise to Deliver Complete, Low Power Handsfree Experience
Speech technology is experiencing dramatic growth due to the rise of cloud computing and internet connected devices that enable complex voice searches and text-to-speech for data retrieval. Yet these server-based voice capabilities cannot be accessed truly handsfree without a client-side, voice trigger technology. Certain use cases like having a recipe read aloud from a tablet while cooking or accessing directions without button pressing from a navigation device can be possible with a hybrid client/cloud approach that taps TrulyHandsfree technology. Sensory is the only company providing a highly accurate, low power and noise tolerant key word spotting technology for handsfree access to data and other information that can be voice searched in the clouds.
“Speech technology is being integrated in more solutions than ever before but many of these applications require button pushes, defeating the purpose of a voice user interface,” said Todd Mozer, CEO of Sensory. “Personal electronics in the car and home will particularly benefit from Sensory’s TrulyHandsfree Voice Control. Think of the way a remote control is used. You don’t get up to turn on the TV and then sit down to change channels. Consumers want convenience, every step of the way. And in the car, the convenience is nice, but the real issue is safety because you shouldn’t have to take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to activate voice recognition.”
Companies including BlueAnt, Mattel, Kensington, Plantronics, Motorola, and Samsung have already adopted TrulyHandsfree Voice Control to improve the user interface in their products including smartphones, Bluetooth headsets and car speakerphones, and toys. The enhancements to Truly Handsfree 2.0 will incent even more manufacturers to tap voice control capabilities.
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About Sensory, Inc.
Sensory, Inc. is the leader in speech technologies for consumer products, offering a complete line of IC and software-only solutions for speech recognition, speech synthesis, speaker verification, music synthesis and more. Sensory’s products are widely deployed in consumer electronics applications including Smart Phones, Automotive, Bluetooth™ products, toys, and various home electronics. Sensory’s customers represent the leaders in consumer electronics, including such companies as AT&T, BlueAnt Wireless, Hasbro, JVC, Kenwood, Mattel, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Uniden, VTech, Samsung and Sony. The company can be found on the web at www.sensoryinc.com.