Alexa Voice Assistant Will Soon Know Exactly Where You Are In The House

Smart speakers, along with voice assistants, are making our lives more and more convenient. In the past, we can give commands to the assistant in the kitchen, for example, but now we can talk to them regardless of where we are in the house because we can set up a system of devices across different rooms. But now, according to new research, smart speakers will be able to know where we are in the house.

Researchers from the University of Illinois have developed VoLoc, a system that’s close to achieving the capability of telling where a person is in their house by using Alexa voice assistant. VoLoc can know this because listens to how the person’s voice echoes off the house’s walls. The idea is to let the voice assistant know which room you’re in when you ask it to turn the light on or off.

Sheng Shen is a student working on this research, who used reverse triangulation in developing the system. The following image indicates how VOLOC works.

The system is not perfect yet, but it’s getting close. However, Shen stated that perfecting VoLoc is not an easy task.

According to Shen, there are several challenges when it comes to applying the technique to smart speakers. Firstly, the direct voice from the user must be separated from the echoes when recorded on the microphone. Next, the direction for each echo must be computed accurately. Both these tasks are difficult as the microphone picks up a mixture of all kinds of sounds.

How does VoLoc tell between the real voice and echos?

Using its algorithm, the system figures out from where the voice’s echo came then determines the location of the person. Electrical and computer engineering professor Roy Choudhury, who also worked on this research, stated that this technology could bring a significant improvement to Alexa.

Potentials and challenges

Choudry and Shen are both aware of privacy concerns that will likely result from this improvement. However, they believe that the technology could unlock more important capabilities. For example, with VoLoc, Alexa could help old people by reminding them to take medication. The research team is planning to continue to perfect the system with the hope to improve the frame of reference on the smart speaker.

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