Solution leverages Avnet’s MiniZed to improve interface for voice control AI targeting home and industry
Avnet (NYSE: AVT),
a leading global technology distributor, and Aaware,
Inc., an emerging global supplier of sound capture technology for
far-field, voice-enabled digital products, today introduced Aaware’s
Sound Capture Platform, designed to provide product development teams
with higher performance, scale and flexibility. The solution leverages
Avnet’s MiniZed™ Zynq SoC development platform to improve
sound capture performance for artificial intelligence (AI) applications
in the smart home, industrial IoT and robotics markets. Avnet and Aaware
will demonstrate the new voice interface technology at CES 2018, January
9-12 in Las Vegas, Eureka Park booth #50212 in the Sands Expo.
The Aaware Sound Capture Platform integrates algorithmic acceleration
technology and a flexible microphone array board with the hardware power
of Avnet’s MiniZed™ Zynq SoC development and demonstration
platform, using dual-core Xilinx®
Zynq®-7000
All Programmable SoC devices.
“Leveraging the utility and expandability of Avnet’s MiniZed platform,
Aaware’s Acoustically Aware™ sound capture algorithms enable
product development teams to create far-field, voice-to-machine
communications functionality that is more natural and robust than
anything I have seen on the market today,” said Jim Beneke, vice
president, engineering and technology, Avnet. “This versatile technology
not only solves the problem of canceling noise, echo and reverb that
often confuse many popular cloud-based digital assistants and robotics
applications, but the ability to recognize more than one wake
word/phrase is a true differentiator.”
“Avnet is a top-notch distributor that has cultivated an exceptionally
collaborative relationship with Xilinx, whose technology is consistently
at the core of next-generation applications and solutions,” said Joe
Gianelli, CEO and co-founder of Aaware. “Working with Avnet, and by
extension Xilinx, will enable Aaware to reach a greater array of
customers and markets worldwide, delivering world-class audio sound
capture solutions that can help them bring more robust AI applications
to market quickly and effectively.”
Aaware’s Acoustically Aware sound capture algorithms, paired with TrulyHandsfree
™
wake word detection technology from Sensory, Inc., allow systems to
adapt to differing noise interference, without requiring calibration for
different environments or integration of the reference signal.
“By integrating Sensory’s industry leading wake word detection with
Aaware’s noise processing, device makers are able to deploy powerful
products that feature always-listening speech recognition capabilities
that thrive in noisy environments,” said Bill Teasley, vice president of
engineering at Sensory.
“Providing customers with scale and flexibility, coupled with powerful
edge acceleration for the voice-enabled Artificial Intelligence (AI)
application market, is compelling,” said Yousef Khalilollahi, vice
president, core vertical markets, Xilinx. “We see tremendous opportunity
accelerating at the edge with Xilinx All Programmable SoCs and Aaware
technology, enabling voice assistants, robotics and other AI-related
applications.”
Unlike standard sound capture platforms which typically offer only fixed
microphone array configurations, the Aaware platform has a concentric
circular array of 13 microphones that may be configured
in different combinations, allowing for product performance tuning. The
Aaware platform separates source speech (wake word) and follow-on speech
from interfering noise with ultra-low distortion, allowing the system to
more easily integrate with third-party speech and natural language
engines. In addition, source localization data can be forwarded to
downstream applications, such as video, improving the performance of
sophisticated multi-sensor AI applications, including those for
industrial robotics and surveillance.
For more information on the Aaware Voice Platform available through
Avnet, visit Avnet's MiniZed.org portal at www.minized.org/product/AEV13MZ.
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to Tweet: Sound capture platform from Aaware leverages @Avnet
#MiniZed #Zynq #SoC development platform and @Trulyhandsfree
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All brands and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are the properties of their respective owners. Avnet disclaims any
proprietary interest in marks other than its own. TrulyHandsfree is a
trademark of Sensory, Inc.
About Aaware
Superior voice interfaces start with superior sound capture, Aaware’s
unique Acoustically Aware technologies bring out the best far-field
voice interfaces for the growing number of AI applications. This,
coupled with Aaware design services, offers a complete sound capture
solution tailored for today’s digital product teams. Learn more about
Aaware at
aaware.com.
About Avnet
From idea to design and from prototype to production, Avnet supports
customers at each stage of a product’s lifecycle. A comprehensive
portfolio of design and supply chain services makes Avnet the go-to
guide for innovators who set the pace for technological change. For
nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around
the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn
more about Avnet at www.avnet.com.
Avnet
Maureen O’Leary, 480-643-7499
maureen.oleary@avnet.com
or
Brodeur Partners for Avnet
Jamie Ernst, 480-308-0286
jernst@brodeur.com