Pioneer Selects IBM Embedded Speech Technology

ARMONK, N.Y. - Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. and Pioneer Europe, Inc. chose IBM Embedded ViaVoice software to speech-enable the companies' AVIC-Z1 and AVIC-HD1BT aftermarket navigation systems that delivers information and entertainment to drivers. 

AVIC-Z1

IBM Embedded ViaVoice software provides speech recognition and text-to-speech conversion technologies.  IBM deploys voice-enabled telematics solutions with speech algorithms created by scientists from IBM's Research Labs. 

"Speech recognition is at the beginning of a tidal wave in cars," said Karen Rubin, director of product planning and marketing for navigation, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.  "Drivers can now enter destinations, search for points of interest, and access their music on the built-in hard drive using their voices."

IBM's software and telematics solutions featuring IBM Embedded ViaVoice deliver IBM speech technology to mobile devices that include smart phones, handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs), and automobile components.

The Pioneer AVIC-Z1 system can be installed in almost any vehicle, most vehicles with a double din opening, and features a voice recognition system for navigation destination entry and audio track search, together with text-to-speech voice guidance of street names. 

"Pioneer chose IBM Embedded ViaVoice as its source for voice technology because of its proven quality and high performance on embedded platforms used in real world environments," said Pioneer's Rubin.  "The combination of Pioneer's conversational voice search capability and IBM's Embedded ViaVoice helps provide AVIC-Z1 customers with an unprecedented user experience."

The AVIC-Z1 also uses the IBM Embedded ViaVoice text-to-speech (TTS) engine and phonetic data from geographic content supplier Tele Atlas, which can increase the quality of speech technology used in map-based applications by providing pronunciations of location and directional information. 

The AVIC-Z1's voice recognition has a large vocabulary, allowing it to understand an array of spoken commands.  Drivers can search for destinations by saying a command, like "go to Los Angeles International Airport" without having to specify the action, such as "Points of Interest Search," or category of the destination, such as "airport."  Full address searches can also be done by naming the city, street, and house number allowing drivers to use alternative words for the same command, such as "go to" or "search," instead of "destination." 

Using a 30-gigabyte hard drive, the AVIC-Z1 uses the Tele Atlas map database to offer route guidance, mapping, and road information that crosses the United States and Canada.  In some areas of the country, navigation includes lane information, letting the driver know which lane to be in for the next turn.  It has almost 11 million points of interest such as gas stations, restaurants, stores, and other business listings.     

Customers can wirelessly access their Bluetooth-enabled phones to place a phone call, and to speak hands free through the built-in microphone on the AVIC-Z1 and speakers on the vehicle (optional accessory required for Bluetooth).

The companies' telematics offerings will leverage technologies within IBM Embedded ViaVoice and Pioneer's AVIC-Z1.  The IBM Embedded ViaVoice provides speech recognition, while the AVIC-Z1 enables conversational search and navigation of media, traffic, and other digital content from devices used in the car or mobile phone.

AVIC-HD1BT

Pioneer chose IBM's Embedded ViaVoice software to speech-enable its AVIC-HD1BT aftermarket navigation system, which can be installed in most cars and delivers information, entertainment and convenience to drivers. 

"Speech recognition is at the beginning of a tidal wave in cars," said Geert Verhoeven, manager of product planning for navigation, Pioneer Europe.  "A driver can now enter destinations, search for points of interest, and access their music on the built-in hard drive using their voice.  Pioneer chose IBM Embedded ViaVoice as its source for voice technology because of its proven quality and high performance on embedded platforms used in real world environments."

"The combination of Pioneer's conversational voice search capability and IBM Embedded ViaVoice help provide AVIC-HD1BT customers with an unprecedented user experience," Verhoeven said.

The Pioneer AVIC-HD1BT system can be installed in most vehicles with a double din opening, featuring a voice recognition system for navigation destination entry and audio track search.  It has hard disc navigation and entertainment systems with a 10GB music library and Bluetooth telephone interface. Navigation, music library and telephone are voice controllable, using IBM Embedded ViaVoice technology. 

The AVIC-HD1BT's voice recognition has a large vocabulary, allowing it to understand an array of spoken commands.  Drivers can retrieve registered locations by saying a command, such as "go to my office."  Alternative words for the same command can be used, so that "go to" or "search" can be used, instead of "destination," for example.

Using a 30-gigabyte hard drive, the AVIC-HD1BT uses the Tele Atlas map database to offer route guidance, mapping, and road information in 22 European countries.  In some areas, navigation includes lane information, letting the driver know which lane to be in for the next turn.  The system has almost 3.7 million points of interest such as gas stations, restaurants, stores, and other business listings.

Customers can wirelessly access their Bluetooth-enabled phones to place a phone call, and to speak hands-free through the built-in microphone on the AVIC-HD1BT and speakers on the vehicle.

The companies' telematics offerings will leverage technologies within IBM Embedded ViaVoice and Pioneer's AVIC-HD1BT.  IBM Embedded ViaVoice provides speech recognition, while the AVIC-HD1BT enables conversational search and navigation of media, traffic, and other digital content from devices used in the car or mobile phone.