Renesas and Cyberon Partner on Voice Recognition

Renesas Electronics and Cyberon, an embedded speech solution provider, have partnered to deliver voice user interface (VUI) solutions across Renesas' entire RA MCU line.

Renesas RA customers will now have access to Cyberon's continuous command-based voice user interface toolchain, enabling them to add voice-recognition to endpoint applications in home appliances, building automation, industrial automation, wearables, and more.

Renesas is also making a Voice Reference Hardware Platform available for prototyping and development of voice interfaces.

The new hardware platform enables local voice recognition without a network connection using Cyberon's DSpotter solution. DSpotter's phoneme-based modelling approach allows command customization with only text input, eliminating the need for massive voice data collection. It currently supports more than 40 languages.

Key features of the Renesas Voice User Interface Reference Solution include the following:

• Complimentary access to the DSpotter Toolchain;
• Voice Activity Detection (VAD) allowing end-point applications to run in always-on mode;
• Voice Audio Playback (VAP) to enable voice input and voice responses;
• Support for up to two digital and two analog microphones; and
• External QSPI flash to store voice samples and library data.

"Customers in multiple segments are looking for help to quickly add reliable voice user commands to their products. Our partnership with Cyberon gives them access to proven voice technology across our entire line of RA MCUs, from entry-line to full-featured devices," said Mohammed Dogar, vice president of global bysiness development and ecosystem in Renesas IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit, in a statement.

"We are honored to collaborate with Renesas to simplify the development of embedded voice recognition functions," said Alex Liou, vice president of Cyberon's Embedded Solution business unit, in a statement. "Cyberon's DSpotter algorithm meets the market's diverse requirements for both costs and performance. The combination of DSpotter and Renesas's leading MCU technology enables customers to develop high-performance, reliable, and cost-efficient products in a timely manner."