ruwido1904v4_ruwido 19/04/2016 14:47 Page 1
Speak up: Voice
control takes a bow
ruwido is bringing a holistic approach to content
search and control with the very best of voice and
haptic interfaces for the user.
ruwido is firmly established on the
leading edge of remote control design
and functionality, so when major
operators bring out step-change
iterations of their content
proposition, it is no surprise they turn
to the Austrian designer and
manufacturer. Swisscom’s new 4K
package and Sky’s TV Everywhere
proposition Sky Q launched recently
both featured customised ruwido
input devices.
And along with ruwido’s established
expertise in haptic control and handset
aesthetics, these new platforms also
incorporate voice control. “We totally believe
that – set up in the right way – voice control
is right for search on TV and other devices,”
declares Ferdinand Maier, CEO of ruwido.
He says it is important not to load too
Organic haptic:
Total control
At IBC 2015, ruwido
introduced its patented
organic haptic feedback
mechanism. Now the
company is showcasing the
feasibility of this new
technology by demonstrating
it on a standard set-top box
SoC.
Our research shows that
throughout the consumer
electronics world, design
and user experience drive
desire. In order to reach user
experience excellence, the
remote control, set-top box
and user interface have to be
aligned in look and feel to
make navigation an event
itself.
14 TV Everywhere
ruwido’s main goal is to
enable their customers to
create differentiation and to
provide the best possible
experience for the end
consumer.
This means ruwido is not
only designing and
manufacturing remote
controls, but also proposes
designs for set-top boxes
and - now- the company has
implemented the organic
haptic interaction
mechanism and its user
interface on a deployable
system.
The interface is built on
top of web applications that
make it simple to transport
from one hardware to
another. The user interface
features a modular and
much on to voice
recognition to start
with – only once it
is deployed will we
learn the limits of
what interactions
viewers find
useful, and also
use is the only
way to
constantly
develop voice
recognition’s
ability to
deal
with language, dialect and accent challenges.
“The future is totally in voice biometrics for
user recognition,” says Maier, “so the system
can know instantly which member of the
household is using the device and deliver a
personalised profile; the look of the User
Interface, even the speed of the haptic
interface can be tailored. Eventually as the
voice recognition becomes more sophisticated
it can be used to discern mood and
deliver personal recommendations accordingly.
But it is important not to load too much onto
voice recognition to start with, if you put too
much into the first step people become
disconcerted.”
“As it develops and user experience builds,
we have the tools to supplement the system by
transmitting voice in HiFi quality which is
essential to deal with subtleties of dialect and
accent recognition. The new Swisscom TV 2.0
service supports German, all Swiss German
dialects and French with Italian to follow later
this year.”
“Our scientific research first tested voice
recognition 15 years ago, but it was
inadequate, but the advances in processing
power and acoustic techniques means it is now
robust. Now, five of seven major projects we
are currently engaged with have microphones
integrated in the remote.”
“Voice is good for certain kinds of searching
like ‘show me all movies starring so and so’ but
it is not right for locating times or browsing
what is on, and certain H