Fluent.ai and Knowles showcase wireless earbuds and voice biometrics-controlled devices

Speech analysis provider Fluent.ai and micro-acoustic devices manufacturer Knowles Corporation have entered into a new partnership focused on fully offline and app-free artificial intelligence-powered voice control including voice biometrics for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, headphones, and earpieces.

“Implementing robust, natural-sounding embedded voice control in TWS devices has been a challenge due to the memory and compute limitations of current Bluetooth [System-on-Chips], and the low power consumption requirements in TWS devices,” explains Knowles Director of Strategic Marketing Raj Senguttuvan.

According to the executive, Fluent.ai’s small-footprint AI software solution on Knowles AISonic Audio Edge Processor IA8201 bypasses these limitations by integrating directly into TWS earbuds. This, in turn, removes the need for accompanying smartphone apps and cloud connectivity.

The voice control feature includes multilingual and accent-agnostic biometric voice recognition, according to the announcement.

“Our joint solution offers hearables OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] a platform to develop high-quality and flexible voice control in TWS devices for a natural and convenient user experience,” Senguttuvan adds.

From a technical standpoint, Fluent.ai’s ‘speech-to-intent’ technology is both multilingual and accent-agnostic and can enable voice commands to trigger a variety of TWS actions, including activating noise cancellation, controlling music, accepting or declining calls, and checking battery levels.

“We are honored to be partnering with Knowles, a global leader in audio solutions innovating in the hearables space,” says Probal Lala, CEO of Fluent.ai.

“Our embedded […] technology presents hearable OEMs the opportunity to provide multilingual command access to a truly global customer base for the first time.”

Fluent.ai is currently demonstrating the biometric technology at CES 2022 in Las Vegas and can be found in the Venetian Hospitality Suites.

The company also hired Jean-Marc (JM) Robillard as its new director of Marketing last November.

Article Topics

AI  |  biometrics  |  biometrics at the edge  |  CES  |  Fluent.ai  |  Knowles  |  research and development  |  voice biometrics  |  voice recognition  |  wearables