IBM announced recently that it is teaming with Canon to drive the implementation of certain voice-enabled consumer devices, such as kitchen appliances, toys and game consoles.
PHILIPPINES (Manila Bulletin) - The introduction of IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Mobile Device Edition allows consumers to simply use their voices to speak to a variety of workplace and home devices. The new IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Mobile Device Edition joins the existing offerings of embedded ViaVoice products. These include:
- IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Multiplatform Edition which enables developers to create voice-enabled mobile solutions.
- IBM ViaVoice SDK for Linux which enables Linux developers to incorporate voice recognition technology into their next generation of applications.
Customers will be able to interact with the smallest of devices and consumer appliances. Instead of pushing a button to begin brewing a cup of coffee, a customer will just need to direct it through words, opening up a world of possibilities for maximizing voice interaction between humans and machines.
"Creating voice interfaces for these small devices marks the success of voice recognition technology," said Dr. Kazuya Matsumoto, chairman of Canon Research Centre Europe Ltd. "Canon looks forward to working with IBM to bring a voice interface to a variety of devices and appliances."
Requiring only 510 MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) for voice recognition processing, IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Mobile Device Edition provides an active vocabulary of up to 50 words for consumers who personalize their own devices, such as cell phones and PDAs. It also offers the option of pre-loading 10-20 active words for user independent vocabularies, ideal for electronic devices that need only simplified commands, such as kitchen appliances and toys.
IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Mobile Device Edition's vocabulary can expand to the amount of flash memory in the device. Applications can dynamically switch between active vocabularies or share a single vocabulary.
Part of the IBM Voice Systems product line, IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Mobile Device Edition offers a low cost solution for incorporating voice capability into a number of mobile devices. Customers will find entry level command and control features, high accuracy rates, vocabulary development and compatibility, telephone quality microphones, as well as worldwide support from IBM and Canon.
IBM Embedded ViaVoice, Mobile Device Edition vocabularies may be customized by the user or manufacturer to operate in any language and will be available by the end of this year.
