Advanced Television

ruwido gives voice to integrated remote control device

September 6, 2012

Colin Mann @ IBC

Input devices and interaction mechanisms specialist ruwido has launched its r117 device, which it claims will revolutionise the TV control, input and interaction landscape. ruwido has created a product that combines voice control with the functionality, intuitive navigation and aesthetics.

The company recognises that while the physical remote control will remain fundamental to the living room, the added functionality that voice control will provide brings an entirely new element to accessing content, further enhancing the consumer experience.

“Our mission has always been to deliver true user experience excellence. The r117 combines the latest technology and intuitive navigation, representing the natural evolution of input devices,” said Ferdinand Maier, CEO of ruwido. “Based on our own scientific research, we realised that voice control was something that could really complement the existing functionality of our devices while being sensitive to the human behaviour of the user. r117 brings the consumer closer to their services and content, and is a device that is a joy to own and a joy to use.”

The body of r117 supports the integrated voice control at the head of the remote control and enables the intuitive search of large libraries, such as video on demand or music portals. The interaction mechanism technology reduces the required number of ‘traditional’ buttons to a minimum, providing a clearer appearance and better user experience. Speech is transmitted in HIVI quality, a high quality voice recognition standard, enabling voice identification for search to take place.

“Voice technology is an incredible way to search for known content such as, for example, films featuring a favourite actor, which can be accessed with only a few words. The user can say ‘George Clooney’, and this will be transferred to a cloud server, which will then present the different movie options that feature him as an actor. Speech must, however, be used in the right context,” noted Maier. “For scrolling through 20,000 VOD titles, the physical element is essential, which is why the r117 is our most intuitive device yet. It provides a patented interaction mechanism technology to create navigation by emotion,” he explained.

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