Tag Archives: virtual assistant

How does a deaf or mute person use a smart speaker’s voice assistant? This concept tries to build a more inclusive smart speaker

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Here’s a question nobody probably ever thought of… how do deaf and mute people communicate with voice assistants? Or specifically, with smart speakers? It’s a question that Jinni, a sign-language-based smart assistant, hopes to answer.

While the most obvious use for a smart speaker is to listen to music and podcasts, the ubiquitous little gadget has much more far-reaching features, allowing users to ask questions, get alerts and weather updates, and most importantly, control aspects of one’s smart home, like the lights, thermostat, security cameras, etc… so when the smart speaker almost solely works on voice commands, its interface practically alienates an entire group of people with special needs who don’t rely on voice commands.

Designed to include a camera that can read sign language inputs, and a large screen that can communicate with its user, Jinni brings the power of virtual assistants to a subset of people that are often sidelined when designing mainstream tech. Relying on visual cues instead of audio ones, the Jinni can easily interface with people fluent in sign language, offering a more natural input technique for them. Responses are provided through Jinni’s large circular screen, taking audio entirely out of the equation. Just as the smart speaker is a ubiquitous little gadget in homes, Jinni hopes to do the same for the deaf and mute communities, giving them the same access to life-changing tech. The speaker concept runs on a battery (so it can be carried to different rooms) and even comes with a charging dock/mat to juice it up after a day’s use.

The Jinni is a winner of the Red Dot Design Concept Award for the year 2021.

Designer: Zhong Zuozheng

The post How does a deaf or mute person use a smart speaker’s voice assistant? This concept tries to build a more inclusive smart speaker first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Samsung short-throw projector merges with Bixby to create a gadget that does it all!

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Bixby has become a household name by now. Practically every home features a virtual assistant or smart device that takes care of things like dimming the lights or searching recipes for dinner. All it takes is the calling of its name for smart devices to jingle awake and assume their position for service. Inspired by features from Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby, Osay Imarhiagbe has designed Samsung Smart Prism, a smart home accessory that combines a projector with a smart speaker.

The Samsung Smart Prism is coated in a refined matte black finish and maintains a discreet cubic shape that could fit inconspicuously on any tabletop. Compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices, the Smart Prism as designed by Imarhiagbe brings the device’s integrated information like images, audio, text beyond the physical limits of a standard smart home device. By combining a smart home speaker with an ultra-short-throw projector, the Smart Prism is capable of announcing requested information and projecting images like recipes in a queue and perhaps even previously downloaded films. Whenever the Smart Prism has a message to deliver to its user, the projector can launch it onto the wall so even if the audio message gets lost, a physical reminder remains.

While the Smart Prism was designed exclusively with Samsung Galaxy users in mind, the merging of an ultra-short-throw projector with all the perks of a standard virtual assistant is sure to give way to future developments in the smart home devices industry. Designed for portability, the Smart Prism has a compact build and integrated battery perfect for movie nights away from home or for bringing the projector from the living room to the kitchen for dinner with friends or family.

Designer: Osay Imarhiagbe

Coated with a matte-black finish, the Samsung Smart Prism is inconspicuous and adaptive by design.

With an integrated projector, the Samsung Smart Assistant is able to leave physical messages on the wall as reminders to users.

Compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices, The Samsung Smart Prism’s digital experience was designed exclusively for Samsung users.

Combining the perks of virtual assistant Bixby with the convenience of projected messages, the Smart Prism can take care of it all.

The Samsung Smart Prism is perfect for those nights spent cooking new recipes or watching movies with friends or family.

Samsung’s Galaxy Home Mini is finally landing in early 2020

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Samsung says it will release its first Bixby-powered smartspeaker sometime later this year. Hyunsuk Kim, CEO of the company's consumer electronics division, told Bloomberg the Galaxy Home Mini will be available to buy in "early 2020."

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 doesn’t have a headphone jack or Bixby button

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Remember those Samsung ads mocking Apple's latest iPhones for not having a headphone jack? Well, it looks like the company is going to have to make some similar ones for itself. That's because, as leaks suggested, Samsung's new Galaxy Note 10 won't f...

Standalone Cortana app available to Windows Insiders

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Microsoft has been distancing Cortana from Windows for months. First, it split the virtual assistant from search in Windows 10. Then, a beta version of a standalone Cortana app appeared on the Windows Store. And starting today, Windows 10 Insiders ar...

Bixby’s voice features aren’t finished, but US users can test them

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Samsung's virtual assistant Bixby generated untold levels of hype before the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus launched, but the version we actually got to use still feels half-baked. While the company still hasn't locked down when Bixby's voice search and contr...

Gatebox Holographic Assistant Price, Release Date Announced

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I have a feeling that the Gatebox is exactly how Krieger got started with that holographic Japanese girl that follows him around on Archer. We talked a bit about the Gatebox early this year when the oddity first surfaced. There were key facts we didn’t have at that time though. Namely we didn’t know how much it would cost, or when you could get one.

gatebox_holographic_assistant_1-620x517

Now it looks like it will launch in a Japanese version first and will sell for ¥298,000, or about $2600 (USD) in December 2017. There will apparently be an English version of the Gatebox later, but with shipping it comes to around $3,000. I guess virtual robot girlfriends that can control your home aren’t cheap.

To refresh your memory, Gatebox lets you can talk to the holographic figure inside a glass tube. Its array of sensors include a camera, microphone, motion sensor, warmth and moisture sensors, luminance sensor, and touch buttons. So it’s more like it’s more like a pricey Google Home or Amazon Echo than an actual robot, since it can’t get up and move around.

 

[via PCmag]

Gatebox Hologram Communication Robot: Siri 3D

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Have you ever wondered what is going to replace the likes of Siri, Cortana, and Alexa? You may be looking at their next logical stage – this holographic digital home assistant.

gatebox_holographic_assistant_1zoom in

Japanese startup vinclu Inc. is showing off a concept video for a holographic assistant called Gatebox. For its first incarnation, it projects a hologram named Azuma Hikari. Azuma will wake you in the morning, greet you when you get home from work, and communicate with your other smart devices in your home. Use her to turn on your TV, adjust your thermostat, play your music, etc. The possibilities are endless. If Amazon Echo had this kind of personality, it would have sold even better.

Since this is a Japanese invention, I’m sure we can expect some perverted options too, like watching a nude version of hologram dance and other creepy stuff. It will be interesting to see what happens with this device at any rate. It sounds like its creators may launch a crowdfunding campaign later this year, so you could soon have your own holographic virtual assistant.

[via Rocketnews24 via Nerd Approved]

Amazon Echo Smart Bluetooth Speaker Makes Waves in Your Living Room

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Amazon Echo

Bluetooth speakers already come in all shapes and sizes, so what could make Amazon Echo so special? Maybe the fact that it is the e-tailer’s answer to Apple’s Siri, in a living room-friendly format.

Much like Microsoft’s Xbox One, the Amazon Echo Bluetooth speaker is always on. A device that’s always listening in doesn’t sound like a very good idea, but much like the Redmond tech giant’s gaming console, it is activated using a word, or in this case, a name: Alexa. I would’ve went with Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, as… you know, there are people whose name is Alexa, and if one of them visited you, confusion would ensue.

The e-tailer’s latest product doesn’t really have an equivalent in the tech world, so I might as well call this a premiere. Echo is a virtual assistant, much like Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, or Google Now. Unlike those, it doesn’t live in your smartphone or tablet, but in your living room. Once it’s activated, it listens to your commands, and the options are quite variate. Since it features 7 microphones and noise-cancellation technologies, it can filter sound and recognize your commands no matter where in the room you are located.

Amazon’s virtual assistant can play music from Amazon Music Library, Prime Music, TuneIn and iHeartRadio. However, that’s only the beginning, as it can also tell you the weather forecast, the latest news, and it can answer simple queries using Wikipedia as its source of information. The free encyclopedia may not be the most accurate source of information in the world, but it’s good starting point.

Echo also comes with a companion app, which is available for Fire OS and Android. It’s funny how Google makes apps for iOS, but Apple doesn’t get any love from Amazon. In the big picture, Amazon Echo could represent a major step forward for manufacturers of smart home devices, provided that the e-tailer is open to work on interconnectivity. There are many ways this could be improved, and let’s just hope it does not share Fire Phone’s short life and miserable fate.

At $199, Echo isn’t exactly cheap, but the ones needing such a smart Bluetooth speaker won’t hesitate to pay this much. As with the Fire TV Stick, Amazon Prime subscribers will get Echo at a lower price, $99.

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