Amazon has moved its spatial perception technology to the cloud, in order to prevent multiple Alexa devices answering commands from users.
The tech, which determines which device is closest to the user to ensure only one responds to the request, is built into all Amazon Echo devices. However, it does not appear in Alexa devices manufactured by third-parties without a software update on the hardware side.
This is where some households have experienced Alexa piping up all over the house in their devices. Moving Echo Spatial Perception (ESP) to the cloud without the need for manufacturers to adjust their own software, should help to clear up this issue.
The company writes on the Alexa blog: “Prior implementations of ESP required device integration with additional software, and the feature wasn’t implemented on every Alexa-enabled device.
“Today we’re announcing that ESP has moved to the cloud, introducing several benefits to developers. With Cloud ESP, all existing and new Alexa-enabled devices get the ESP feature with no requirement for device-side software changes.”
Amazon says the shift to the cloud also offers superior accuracy, especially in noisy environments. The company also promises the tech will improve over time.
Given Alexa is becoming much more common on a large range of devices, adding this tech is all-the-more important. A number of households now have multiple Alexa-enabled devices within the home so it’s certainly necessary for Amazon to get this tech working well across the wide spectrum.
“Alexa continues to become increasingly integrated with people’s lives as she is enabled across more devices from a range of manufacturers,” said Priya Abani, director of Amazon Alexa. “By automatically enabling all devices to take advantage of ESP, customers are given the best experience with Alexa across the growing number of devices and Alexa-enabled experiences.”
Have you experienced issues with your Alexa devices piping up all at the same time? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
