Voice is the way of the future. At HARMAN we’re balancing technology push with market pull as we partner with the world’s greatest technology companies to deliver world-class voice-enabled smart IOT and audio solutions for Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Enterprise, and Robot applications.
Most recently, HARMAN was announced as the first technology company to partner with Microsoft, integrating Microsoft’s Cortana personal assistant with future Harman Kardon products including a connected speaker. But that’s not the only way we’re working in this space. Our vision at HARMAN is to elevate the performance of connected devices, to deliver high quality voice-enabled devices that meet the needs of today’s consumers and enterprises, while equipping them for tomorrow.
We strongly believe customers want access to high quality audio regardless of platform or ecosystem. That’s why we are working with a variety of innovative technology partners. Last year, we announced Siri and Google Now voice integration for the JBL Xtreme, Pulse 2, Charge 3 and Flip 3 speakers, providing users with the ability to voice control their favourite music without reaching for a phone or tablet. We’ve formed a global partnership with leading Chinese Internet search provider, Baidu, to integrate high quality audio with their advanced AI technology and working with JD.com, we introduced JBL Go Smart, a smart wireless Bluetooth speaker with voice control capabilities. We also recently teamed up with Korea Telecom to launch ‘GiGA Genie,’ a new AI TV set-top box with Harman Kardon audio.
For Connected Car we are collaborating with Microsoft to bring the power of Office 365 to the car, safely enabling drivers to schedule meetings, hear and respond to emails, automatically join conference calls, and seamlessly manage events and tasks throughout the day. Even as far back as 2013, we worked with Ferrari to incorporate Apple’s Siri into the Ferrari FF as an industry-first innovation.
As voice-enabled technology has evolved from a novel function to a truly intuitive, connected solution, HARMAN has been at the forefront. Drawing on our extensive enterprise IOT solutions, we are now providing the “central nervous system” to the IBM Watson “brain” to create voice-enabled cognitive rooms for business to business clients. This technology is set to transform healthcare by providing patients with the ability to control their own environment, answer questions, and request information. It’s also being carried across into the corporate and hospitality settings, for intuitive, personalized hotel and conference rooms that will set our customers apart.
These voice solutions require a host of microphone and voice-processing technologies - one of Harman’s specialties. The mic array must be able to easily detect voice accurately and at distances equivalent to a large room. Additionally, the mic array needs to be able to dynamically follow a moving talker and discern requests in high ambient noise environments. All of these technologies are areas of focus and expertise from HARMAN.
In the near future, HARMAN will be introducing a new voice input technology, called Sonique. Available with a microphone array of 2 or more mics and robust software to enable beam-forming, echo cancellation, and key-word identification, Sonique will be easily integrated with any natural voice engine.
Where there is innovation, there is HARMAN. We are passionate about technology and design, because we know the potential it has to transform the everyday experiences of people wherever they may be. By teaming up with world-leading companies, we’re opening up exciting possibilities for connected, elevated, and awesome audio as we put the power of voice in your hands.