Sensory Brings Speech Recognition to Kitchen Appliances

Sensory has released a new speech recognition platform designed for smart appliances like microwaves and refrigerators. The platform is essentially a modified version of the company’s TrulyNatural technology.

According to Sensory, the new solution is noteworthy because it does not raise the privacy concerns of competing virtual assistants. The platform does not store any voice requests, nor will it upload any personal information or voice data to the cloud, making it ideal for a range of appliances that could benefit from voice utility but do not require more extensive connectivity.

“There are certain products where having a cloud-connected voice assistant makes sense, but there are countless products where it would be unnecessary,” said Sensory CEO Todd Mozer. “TrulyNatural is for device makers that want to create products capable of responding to spoken commands, but don’t need the added complexity, component costs and privacy risks associated with cloud-based services.”

Those interested will be able to get a glimpse at the new technology at CES 2020. Sensory will be showcasing the platform alongside Midea Microwave and Cleaner Appliances (MCA), which has deployed TrulyNatural in a new microwave that is able to understand spoken language.

TrulyNatural runs solely on an on-device application processor, and is built to be as user-friendly as possible, without the need for any additional apps or complicated setup. The full feature SDK was released in early 2019, though the platform itself was first unveiled all the way back in 2015. Device manufacturers can also utilize Sensory’s TrulyHandsfree tech to create their own unique wake words for their products. 

TrulyNatural offers support for Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux, amongst other platforms. At the moment, it is only available in American English, though it will expand to UK English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish within the next twelve months.