NXP Voice Intelligent Technology Speech to Intent Engine (2024)

NXP has launched a new speech recognition engine within our Voice Intelligent Technology Portfolio. In this blog, we will explore what challenges developers face in embedded voice control designs, our new Speech to Intent Engine and how you can use it in your applications.

Make Your Voice Heard: The Challenges with Voice Commands in Embedded Systems

Devices with embedded voice control have been around for many years, culminating in recent years with the emergence of game-changing smart speakers from the likes of Amazon, Google and Apple, among others. These smart speakers revealed for the first time to end users the simplicity, utility and intuitive promise of voice-first devices. These devices leverage voice as a user interface (UI) as the primary or only UI of the device. Thanks mainly to smart speakers, which leverage cloud-based natural language understanding, end users of voice-first devices now have the reasonable expectation that a smart device can understand their natural language requests, queries and commands.

This expectation of natural language processing poses several issues for designers and end users alike, typically including the need for a constant, reliable internet connection along with substantial power consumption that goes along with an always-listening, always-connected device — not to mention the privacy concerns with such connected devices.

Recognizing the challenges faced by voice engines in embedded designs, NXP launched its latest offering in our Voice Intelligent Technology (VIT) Portfolio, the VIT Speech to Intent Engine. Learn more about VIT S2I.

Local Voice Control Versus Cloud-Based Voice Control

When it comes to implementing voice control on a device, engineers typically have three options available: local processing, cloud-based processing or some combination of the two, what we will call “hybrid processing”. With local voice control, a device processes all speech locally, at the edge, without the need to connect to the cloud or a remote server for secondary processing. Cloud-based processing is exactly what you’d expect — all voice audio goes to the cloud for processing and responses are generated by the cloud and sent to the device over the internet. In the case of hybrid processing, a local wake word engine will generally be used to wake up the device (such as “Hey NXP”), and then all voice commands after this wake word are streamed to the cloud or a remote server for processing.

Local processing offers the advantages of low latency, lower power consumption and independence from networks, however, it is often limited to basic keywords and commands that require precise wording or phrasing. For example, turning on a light may require the exact phrase “Hey, NXP (wake word), lights on (voice command)” to be said with no variation.

With cloud-based and hybrid systems, the use of cloud services introduces increased latency, but offers the advantage of being able to run extremely complex algorithms, including natural language understanding models. Thus, revisiting the prior example of turning on the lights, any combination of words can be used, and the system will still understand the context of what is being asked such as “It’s dark in here, please turn on the lights”.

As mentioned earlier, a major drawback of cloud-based natural language processing is security and privacy implications. Simply put, by design, voice audio streams are sent over the internet to a remote server, therefore, it is possible for such systems to accidentally turn on and stream unintended audio to the cloud. These audio streams could include personal conversations, credentials or other sensitive information.

Introducing NXP’s Voice Intelligent Technology (VIT) Speech to Intent (S2I) Engine

Recognizing the challenges faced by voice engines in embedded designs, NXP launched its latest offering in our Voice Intelligent Technology (VIT) Portfolio, the VIT Speech to Intent Engine (S2I). The S2I Engine is a premium offering of the VIT portfolio, which also includes a free Wake Word Engine (WWE) and Voice Command Engine (VCE).

Unlike systems that rely on remote cloud services, VIT S2I is able to locally determine the intent of naturally spoken language. This feature is possible thanks to NXP's latest developments with neural network algorithms and machine learning models designed to work on embedded systems. As such, intents like “Turn on the lights” can be said in numerous different ways, such as “Lights on”, “It’s too dark” and “Can you make it brighter”.

Learn more about Local Voice Control on RW61x

This Speech to Intent capability makes interacting with embedded systems far more natural, while simultaneously reducing system latency and power consumption of cloud connected systems. Additionally, eliminating cloud services also helps improve security and privacy as all voice processing is handled locally on the device. Furthermore, when combined with an NXP Wake Word Engine, it’s possible to develop ultra-low power designs that wait for a specific wake word before engaging the VIT S2I engine for processing spoken commands.

VIT S2I is supported on several NXP devices including: Arm® Cortex®-M: i.MX RT Crossover MCUs and RW61x MCUs, and Cortex A i.MX 8M Mini, i.MX 8M Plus, and i.MX 9x applications processors. VIT S2I currently supports English with Mandarin and Korean to follow in late 2023. Online developer tools for creating custom commands and training models are scheduled to be released in 2024.

NXP Voice Intelligent Technology Speech to Intent Engine (1)

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How VIT Speech to Intent Can Give Voice to Your Next Design

As developments in the IoT segment continue, VIT S2I will be ideal for home automation and wearable electronics along with other applications like automotive telematics and building controls. The ability to control basic device functions entirely hands-free via naturally spoken language will continue to grow in popularity with consumers, and the elimination of cloud services for processing speech at the edge not only reduces system latency but reduces privacy and security concerns.

VIT S2I systems will become more important in devices where the convenience of a voice-first user interface is desirable, including smart thermostats, smart appliances, home automation, lighting controls, shade control and more. Wearables and fitness devices can also use VIT S2I, with some use cases including setting up reminders, controlling Bluetooth devices and monitoring health.

Enhance Your Applications with NXP's VIT Portfolio

For those looking to start developing with NXP’s Voice Intelligent Technology Portfolio, get started today with our free VIT Wake Word and Voice Command Engines available through the MCUXpresso SDK and online model tool. These engines are excellent for easily customized wake words and basic voice control for rapid prototyping and quick development cycles where natural language understanding isn’t required. If your application requires more natural language understanding functionality, contact your local NXP representative to get started with VIT Speech to Intent.

Learn more about NXP’s Voice Processing Portfolio and explore our VIT Speech to Intent Demos.

NXP Voice Intelligent Technology Speech to Intent Engine (2024)

FAQs

Which voice technology known as ____________________converts human speech to computer commands? ›

Speech recognition is the technology that allows a computer to recognize human speech and process it into text. It's also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), speech-to-text, or computer speech recognition.

What is voice activation technology? ›

Personalization: Voice-activated technology creates a more personalized digital experience for users. This can include remembering information from previous interactions, offering helpful reminders, and distinguishing between multiple users from voice alone.

What is the technology that is used for voice recognition known as? ›

Speech recognition, also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), computer speech recognition or speech-to-text, is a capability that enables a program to process human speech into a written format.

Which computer program is used to simulate conversation with human users? ›

Chatbot—A computer program that uses an LLM to simulate a conversation with human users, typically through typed text in a software application.

Which technology is used to convert human voice to digital format? ›

The technology used to understand human voice is known as Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). ASR is a type of AI technology that enables computers to interpret and understand spoken language. It works by converting spoken words into text, allowing machines to process and respond to human speech.

How much does voice activated software cost? ›

The best dictation software at a glance
Best forPricing
GboardFree mobile dictation softwareFree
Google Docs voice typingTyping in Google DocsFree
OtterCollaborationFree plan available for 300 minutes per month; Pro plan starts at $16.99
3 more rows
Nov 9, 2023

Why do people use voice activated software? ›

The benefits of voice recognition software are that it provides a faster method of writing on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, without typing. You can speak into an external microphone, headset, or built-in microphone, and your words appear as text on the screen.

What is an example of voice-activated software? ›

Examples of how voice recognition is used include the following: Virtual assistants. Siri, Alexa and Google virtual assistants all implement voice recognition software to interact with users. The way consumers use voice recognition technology varies depending on the product.

What is voice cloning technology? ›

Voice cloning is the process of creating a synthetic replica of a person's voice using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. In healthcare, voice cloning can be used for applications such as patient reminders, virtual assistants, and providing personalized care instructions.

Which AI technology is used behind the personal voice assistant? ›

A specific subset of AI and machine learning (ML), NLP is already widely used in many applications today. NLP is how voice assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, can understand and respond to human speech and perform tasks based on voice commands.

What is a voice activated device called? ›

Smart speakers, or digital assistants, are a combination loudspeaker and voice command device run by Wi-Fi access. They use artificial intelligence software to respond to spoken questions or commands.

What is the technology that can interact with humans using speech communication called? ›

AI voice—often referred to as voice recognition or speech recognition—uses advanced algorithms to interpret and understand human speech. This sophisticated technology allows computers to process spoken language and respond accordingly. Essentially, it transforms voice inputs into actionable data.

What is a computerized voice called? ›

Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products.

What is a technology that converts human language? ›

Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) that uses machine learning to enable computers to understand and communicate with human language.

What is the voice technology? ›

Trending Terms. Voice technology is a growing technology that involves a computer's ability to recognize spoken words and put out appropriate responses. It uses artificial intelligence and voice recognition technology.

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