Knowles' Headset Development Kit Enables Alexa Control Without Push-to-Talk Button

Knowles developed a voice control technology for OEMs, enabling them to build headphones, headsets and wireless earbuds that allow consumers to talk directly to the Alexa without having to press a button to activate the digital assistant first, it said Tuesday. Headphone companies that use Knowles’ AISonic SmartMic headset development kit for the Alexa Voice Service can enable “natural access” to voice services via the Alexa wake word so consumers can play music, place calls, access skills and request information hands-free, the company said. Knowles’ design is the first turnkey wake-on-voice, AVS-qualified platform for Alexa-enabled headsets and hearables, enabling manufacturers and developers to “quickly integrate Alexa into their smart headsets and eliminate inconvenient push-to-talk interfaces,” said Michael Maia, product line vice president. The technology is compliant with the Alexa Mobile Accessory protocol for Bluetooth accessories and claims the industry’s lowest power necessary for wake-on-voice functionality in a small battery-operated device. Rock Gao, general manager of headphone BG at headphone company Anker, said the kit will speed that company’s time to market for true wireless earbuds. Enabling speech recognition and voice control on a headset creates unique challenges that don’t exist for smart speakers: Acoustic background distractions such as car noise, restaurant and bar conversation and street noise have to be minimized to enable effective voice recognition performance, Knowles said. The company’s solution, processed at the edge, was designed to recognize the Alexa wake word and deliver speech requests for processing in real-world environments without draining battery life, it said.