TrulyHandsfree’s Upgraded Wake Word System Makes Sure It’s the Right Voice Speaking the Right Words

Sensory, Inc. has upgraded the wake word technology of its TrulyHandsfree platform to better ensure that a device won’t be activated by a so-called ‘false fire’ – that is, it won’t mistake a different word for its wake word and activate.

The company says that TrulyHandsfree 6.0 uses a new high-resolution engine that is 65 percent more accurate than the previous version at identifying the wake word. Perhaps more importantly, it also uses voice biometrics to make sure that the wake word is coming from a registered user – it has to be the device’s authorized user speaking the exact wake word in order for a given device to activate.

It’s the kind of technology that could have prevented incidents like a recent Alexa malfunction that erroneously recorded a couple’s conversation and then sent it to an acquaintance. Freak accidents like that aside, it will also help to reassure end users that their smart devices aren’t listening in on their conversations all the time, as devices’ voice interfaces will only turn on when they are activated.

It’s an upgrade that’s poised to deliver a substantial impact for a lot of users, with Sensory’s TrulyHandsfree platform currently being used in over two billion devices, and across more than two dozen banking apps. Voice interfaces are only getting more popular, and device and app makers now have even greater reason to turn to Sensory’s solution for their own offerings.