Harman, at CES Asia, Debuts ‘Far Field Voice Input’ Technology Called Sonique

Harman is using CES Asia to debut a new “far field voice input” technology called Sonique that uses voice commands in place of “traditional physical inputs” via buttons, keyboards or mouse clicks to operate devices, the company said in a Thursday announcement. Harman sees devices with voice input capability for home hubs, conferencing, healthcare and robotics becoming a $7 billion market opportunity by 2024, it said. “Sonique is a total voice solution that includes a customizable, high performance microphone array, a suite of voice algorithms to accurately capture voice commands, even in high ambient noise environments, and integration with popular natural voice engines, and low distortion speakers.” Sonique will be offered in two-, four- and seven-mic “configurations,” depending on range and intended application, Harman said. Sonique will work with “all natural voice engines that are available for public use,” it said. Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana are available now, and other engines, including Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri, will be available “in the near future,” it said.