VocalZoom’s SEEON Microphone Cuts Through the Noise

It seems that lately I’ve been getting too lazy to type on my phone, so I’ve been abusing the voice recognition features both when searching online and sending texts. I don’t see my behavior changing any time soon, so I’m always excited about new developments in voice recognition tech, like VocalZoom’s SEEON microphone.

The SEEON microphone “zooms in” on a person’s voice, which enables it to cut out background noise by up to 40 decibels. Not only does the acoustic microphone cut the user’s voice out of the noise, but it also contains an optical sensor that measures skin vibrations from the user’s face and throat. These two things combine to record clear audio in places that would normally be too chaotic.

The SEEON microphone will be available to manufacturers toward the end of the year, so hopefully voice recognition will improve drastically in 2015.

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VocalZoom Cuts through the Noise at the Consumer Electronics Show with Next-Gen AcoustOptic Microphone
Unique speech enhancement technology enables voice communication and recognition
in virtually any environment

(Las Vegas, NV – January 7, 2014 from International CES 2014) – VocalZoom, a provider of a unique speech-enhancing microphone, today announced the first live demo of their SEEON microphone which will soon infiltrate automotive and mobile computing devices – enabling widespread, reliable use of communications and speech recognition applications.

Growing at an astounding rate, speech recognition technology is included in nearly every major technology people rely on today from cars and computers, to TVs and smartphones. In the automotive industry alone, it is expected that more than half of new cars in 2019 will integrate speech recognition, as manufacturers increasingly seek safer ways for drivers to interact with navigation, audio and Bluetooth systems. However, people using in car and other speech recognition technologies today are in large part dissatisfied with its reliability and accuracy.

Looking to solve the problems facing the speech recognition space, VocalZoom’s SEEON microphone can “zoom-in” on an individual’s voice and reduce background noise by up to 40 decibels. The microphone consists of both an optical sensor that measures skin vibrations from the users face and throat along with an acoustic microphone, to extract a user’s voice amidst background noise. This unique combination is the only technology enabling voice operation and communications in any environment, regardless of the level of background noise.

“Today more automotive, computer and mobile device manufacturers are embedding Speech Recognition technology into their products to change the way consumers operate in their cars and on their mobile devices,” said Yechiel Kurtz, Chairman & President of VocalZoom. “The proliferation of speech recognition applications like Siri™ and Google Voice Search™ have created a strong need for a solution that provides the high-quality, high-accuracy voice recognition capabilities to capitalize on the promise of voice-driven commands. The SEEON microphone gives manufacturers the ability to provide their customers with a reliable product that takes full advantage of the safety and convenience factors offered by speech recognition technology.”

“As we interact more naturally with mobile devices – from phones to cars – excellent speech recognition becomes indispensable,” said Roger Entner, Founder and Lead Analyst of Recon Analytics. “Businesses and consumers demand solutions that work the first time, even in the most challenging environments. Enabling high levels of reliability allows people to gain the full benefits from voice recognition applications.”

VocalZoom’s patented microphone technology differentiates itself from other noise reduction technologies such as Microphone Arrays, since it is the only technology that provides an independent and reliable reference audio signal, in any environment. Through extensive testing, the SEEON microphone has been proven to increase speech recognition results by up to 8 times.

In one such testing scenario, VocalZoom recreated real-world driving scenarios and conditions to determine the efficiency and accuracy of the SEEON microphone. The administered tests were performed at 60 miles per hour in open window scenarios and with background speech noise. In these driving conditions, the SEEON boosted the word recognition rate to approximately 90 percent, up from near-zero without the SEEON microphone.

The SEEON microphone will be available to OEMs in the form of a miniature module – similar in size to a cellphone camera module – toward the end of 2014. VocalZoom has already garnered initial success in a multi-billion dollar marketplace with an investment and collaboration agreement with 3M and a joint development agreement with one of the top ten automotive manufacturers in the world.

VocalZoom will showcase their unique technology and SEEON speech-enhancing microphone at Eureka Park in The Venetian, Level 1 – Booth 75011.

About VocalZoom:
Founded in 2010, VocalZoom’s mission is to enable voice communication and voice recognition in virtually any environment. The company has developed a unique optoelectronic microphone able to substantially enhance a speaker’s voice over any background noise (including voices of other speakers). This patented technology creates a “Virtual Cube” in space, sensing sound from only within the cube. This results in a highly significant speech enhancement and precise speaker isolation, which are the key elements missing today to enable mass-usage of voice driven applications. For more information, visit: www.vocalzoom.com.
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