Seeed Studio unveils a brilliant Google Voice Assistant alternative

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Seeed Studio ReSpeaker

Google Voice Assistant Alternative

Seeed Studio unveiled a new second-generation device called ReSpeaker Mic Array v2.0. It’s basically a very advanced portable microphone device based on an open-source solution, composed of a PCB assembled inside a round enclosure. The ReSpeaker can be connected through a standard USB port, for example, a laptop, PC, or tablet. etc. The main advantage of the product is that you don’t need to pre-install any third-party drivers to operate it, and it also comes with nifty echo suppression and cancellation technologies.

The ReSpeaker comes with a four-far-field microphone array capable of detecting voices up to 5m away even with the presence of background noise. The onboard hardware-enabled algorithms are powered by the Vocal Fusion XVF3000 chip.

Several improvements have been made since the original ReSpeaker Mic Array v1.0. The first change you may notice in this model is the reduction of microphones powered by the XMOS XVF-3000. Also, a full-duplex AEC to deliver increased performance with fewer microphones, and thus a lower cost. A few additional changes were made in v2.0. Now it comes with an optimized power circuit, and the audio jack and the micro-USB port were moved to the back.

According to the ReSpeaker specifications, it supports all popular operating systems, including Windows 10/8/7, macOS, Linux, and Android. The ReSpeaker has an OTG and a headphone jack to connect to an external speaker or earphones. It can be used in a wide selection of voice applications, but what’s more interesting is that with some customization it can also be used with an SBC such as the Raspberry Pi 4 along with Alexa and also be used as a type of Google Voice Assistant alternative to switch the lights on and off or operate electric appliances.

ReSpeaker | Product Introduction

ReSpeaker | SBC running Alexa

ReSpeaker

ReSpeaker PCB (4 Mic Array)

ReSpeaker Mic Array v2.0 Highlights

Implementation of cutting-edge acoustic algorithms has been achieved.
DOA (Direction of Arrival)
AEC (Automatic Echo Cancellation)
AGC (Automatic Gain Control)
NS (Noise Suppression)
Plug & Play Far-Field Microphone Array.
Plug & Play (No driver required) – compatible with Windows 10/8/7, Mac, Linux, and Android through OTG.
Voice pick-up device, far-field voice pick-up up to 5m and supports a 360° pick-up pattern.
Built-in audio jack, which allows for plugging in headphones or speakers (speaker not included).