Sony Says Lip-Reading Tech Overcomes Vehicle Voice Recognition Problems

Sony Semiconductor Solutions of America created a lip-reading technology designed to take voice recognition in vehicles “to the next level,” said Mark Hanson, vice president-technology and business innovation, at a CES 2021 media virtual briefing Tuesday. “Voice recognition continues to be one of the most reported complaints of new vehicle owners,” said Hanson. “Cars are dynamic and noisy” in conditions where audio voice recognition “is challenged,” he said. “The goal we gave the engineering team was to make voice recognition work in a convertible, figuring it they could make it work there, they could make it work in any environment.” Sony’s “current focus” is to support the company’s Vision-S electric car initiative, which could “help people with hearing impairment,” said Hanson. The technology supports more than 200 “command words” in English, he said. “We plan to expand both the word count and language support, prioritized on the needs of our customers.”