STMicroelectronics Simplifies Creation of
Alexa Built-In Smart Home Devices with Amazon-Qualified Reference
Design
- Reference design eases development of simple and cost-effective
natural-language understanding and voice-based user interaction for
smart-home devices and smart appliances
- Qualified by Amazon to use Alexa Voice Service Integration for
AWS IoT Core for MCU devices
- All-in one design kit with far-field audio detection, local
Amazon “Alexa” Wake Word, and connectivity to AVS Integration for
AWS IoT Core
Geneva, November 17, 2020 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE:
STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers
across the spectrum of electronics applications, has released an
Amazon-qualified reference design package for smart connected
devices leveraging Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Integration for AWS
IoT Core, which can be used to create Alexa Built-in products using
simple microcontrollers (MCUs).
AVS Integration for AWS IoT Core has the ability to transform
the way users interact with smart “things,” bringing cloud-based
Alexa experiences to items such as toasters, cookers, thermostats,
blinds, hairdryers, and many others with no need for significant
investment in electronic hardware. This could hasten the end for
traditional buttons and dials, leading to new generations of
products that offer easy and natural user interactions, adaptable
smart features, and access to cloud services such as cooking advice
or reordering of consumables.
ST’s Amazon-qualified solution jump-starts the design of
Alexa-enabled appliance controllers, with Alexa
voice-user-interface software already integrated on high-performing
MCUs of the STM32* family. The energy-efficient STM32, being the
world’s most successful 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M MCU family, is ideal
for low-cost, small, and simple connected devices that require
state-of-the-art features such as far-field audio capture and
natural-language understanding.
“We believe the AVS Integration for AWS IoT Core can
revolutionize users’ expectations of smart devices by enabling
easier access to their powerful features and delivering more
rewarding experiences,” said Daniel Colonna, Marketing Director,
Microcontroller Division, STMicroelectronics. “Our reference design
leverages the inherent strengths of STM32 microcontrollers and the
supporting solution to enable cost-efficient products with
unbeatable functionality, small size, and fast time to market.”
Further Technical Information
ST’s AVS Integration for AWS IoT Core reference design contains
a compact 36mm x 65mm main board that combines a high-performance
STM32H743 MCU and Wi-Fi module.
Unlike other devices commonly used for Alexa products, such as
digital signal processors (DSPs) and flashless processors, STM32
MCUs integrate all necessary system features including powerful
audio front-end processing, local wake-word detection,
communication interfaces, and memory, including RAM and Flash, in a
single chip. This integration enables the board to have small
dimensions and a simple layout for cost-effective deployment in
customers’ end products.
The audio front end delivers outstanding far-field voice
detection, even in noisy environments and with closely spaced
microphones. Created by ST Authorized Partner DSP Concepts,
distributed by ST as part of the STM32 MCU and supported by ST
channels, the front end comes with a free Audio Weaver tool license
to help users easily fine-tune their designs.
“The STM32H7's combination of large internal RAM and Flash,
peripheral integration, and high-speed processor enables TalkTo,
our high-performance audio front-end, to drive significantly better
performance in real-time,” said Paul Beckmann, DSP Concepts Founder
and CTO. “TalkTo is delivered through Audio Weaver, so product
makers can quickly design, develop and deploy a wide range of
voice-enabled products.”
Leveraging the features of the high-performance STM32
microcontrollers, users can customize and scale their designs by
adding enhancements such as a second wake word, extra local
commands, and a graphical display to combine with the voice-command
capability for an even more compelling user experience.
Further simplifying prototyping and development, the reference
design hardware includes an audio daughter board as a separate
module. This contains an ST FDA903D audio codec, user LEDs and
buttons, and two MP23DB01HP MEMS microphones spaced at 36mm for
size-constrained products such as power switched plugs. The
hardware’s modularity lets users implement a custom daughter board
if application-specific mic spacing, acoustics, and user-interface
definitions are needed.
The reference design includes fully developed software that
provides the features needed to support Alexa products,
including:
- Audio-capture software
- Advanced Audio Front End (AFE) with noise reduction, echo
cancellation and advanced beam-forming signal processing for
far-field audio detection
- Amazon “Alexa” Wake Word
- Connectivity to AWS IoT
- Audio output software
Working with this reference design enables product designers to
certify new end products with AVS faster and more easily than
bringing up the entire system independently. Both the hardware and
software content can be easily adapted to support individual
customers’ new-product concepts.
The bill of materials (BOM) for the reference design is
engineered to be less than $10 when purchasing the components in
high volumes. Please contact your ST sales office for pricing
options and sample requests.
You can also read a blogpost at
https://blog.st.com/alexa-voice-service/
* STM32 is a registered and/or unregistered trademark of
STMicroelectronics International NV or its affiliates in the EU
and/or elsewhere. In particular, STM32 is registered in the US
Patent and Trademark Office.
About STMicroelectronicsAt ST, we are 46,000
creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the
semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing
facilities. An independent device manufacturer, we work with our
100,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build
products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges
and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable
world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient
power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of the
Internet of Things and 5G technology. Further information can be
found at www.st.com.
For Press Information Contact: Michael
Markowitz Director Technical Media Relations STMicroelectronics
Tel: +1 781 591 0354 Email: michael.markowitz@st.com
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