Microsoft's tech could help you command voice assistants 'silently'
Today, smart voice assistants can handle a range of tasks on phones and at homes. But, in order to get these 'digital helpers' to work, you first have to issue commands that are loud enough to be picked up by their system. This often looks awkward at public places, a problem Microsoft may solve with a tech to command these systems 'silently'. Here's how.
Problems associated with voice assistant commands
Modern smart assistants are pretty good at picking up and executing voice commands. But, when you're in a public space, surrounded by several unknown individuals, you may hesitate to command your assistant. The reasons are obvious: you may not want to disturb others or give away your private information and trigger phrases controlling your device's voice assistant functions.
Microsoft envisions 'silent voice input' to solve this issue
To solve this so-called 'social issue', Microsoft has envisioned a tech that tackles the core of the issue -- speaking loudly. The Redmond giant has patented a 'silent voice input' module, which, as the name suggests, would require you to whisper into the device from a small distance, say about one or two millimeters.
However, this won't be a normal whisper
The silent command, as the patent suggests, won't be a normal whisper, where one breathes-out, but one where we breathe in (ingressive airflow). So, you'll have to breathe in or inhale while whispering to the assistant and it will be able to capture what you are saying, without any distortion or leakage of audio. Notably, the rest of the commanding technique won't be changed.
Also 'silent voice input' could work on various devices
According to the patent filing, published just recently, the silent input module could be integrated on a range of devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, TV remotes, headsets, and even smart 'rings'.
Idea sounds promising, but awkwardness still remains
The idea of whispering into an assistant in a specific way sounds pretty interesting and could help people issue 'silent commands'. But, the main mission was to weed out awkwardness from the process of commanding assistants in public spaces. As such, we're not sure how many people would be comfortable with whispering into their smartwatches, phones or other devices.
Still, there's no surety on its use
Having said that, it is important to reiterate that it's just a patent, which means Microsoft may or may not go ahead with this idea and integrate the proposed module into any smart device.
