By will-buy
French smart home device maker ProKNX has launched a new smart speaker, constructed with a multilingual voice assistant that operates without sending data towards the cloud. The offline smart speaker is part of the company’s Aragon line, using the same Snips (now Sonos-owned) platform for the voice assistant.
Smart Aragon
ProKNX designed the new smart speaker as a table-top alternative to the Aragon smart home automation systems it already offers but requires installation into the home itself. The greater portable version of the system referred to on ProKNX’s website as just ‘Aragon WL’ has a lot of exactly the same functionality but without the hassle of embedding it in a wall. The brand new smart speaker uses the local wifi to connect with other smart home devices but handles the control without sending or receiving data to distant servers like Alexa or Google Assistant. Aragon, named for that Spanish province, can understand commands in French, German, and English. The AI leverages the Natural Language Understanding engine built by Snips to grasp an array of variations on a single command. All of the information is stored inside the device, and there’s even room to train it to learn new words so users can customize exactly what the voice assistant does when hearing different commands and teach it whatever wake word they’d like.
“We had an urgent need to develop a solution to support a user’s to benefit from the comfort of smart home technology without the negative aspects of owning a home automation device, such as obligatory data recording, and also the requirement for connection to the cloud,” ProKNX CEO Christian Kiefel said in a statement. “A good speaker that runs your house must function faultlessly, even just in regions of poor connectivity.”
Private AI
ProKNX sells Aragon as the answer for individuals who want smart home automation but they are worried about privacy. Keeping the entire system out of the cloud means there’s not a way for any customer’s data to become deliberately or accidentally shared without their permission. Aragon includes a similar pitch to the Josh.ai smart home ecosystem. Josh aims for the more advanced of the smart home market. The company even announced a branded server that may be set up in the house for even more advanced smart home setups. Josh.ai also offers its very own VoiceCast protocol, with allowances for other brands, while ProKNX is sticking to dealing with Sonos and it is operating system.
CTO Jens Kastensson stated, “The general population is becoming more aware of their to privacy, yet wish to benefit from the benefits of an intelligent home. We have seen that the interest in voice-controlled smart speakers is increasing exponentially. This is the perfect moment for innovative automation companies to accelerate their entry into this important market by leveraging a manufacturing partnership with ProKNX. We have the technology for the future for the buildings nowadays.”
