Haebora to enter AI voice recognition market

Tech startup Haebora, which has developed an earbud that allows users to “talk through their ears,” recently announced its intention to enter the AI voice recognition market.

On Friday, Haebora announced that it was developing an AI-based voice service device that can be integrated into speakers or smartphones to carry out voice commands or offer real-time interpretation. This service will be an expansion of the technology behind the company’s revolutionary “RippleBuds” earbuds, which are equipped with in-ear microphones designed to pick up the user’s voice from directly inside the ear canal.

CEO Shin Du-sik explained, “RippleBud’s technology allows for the user’s voice to be transmitted clearly to the receiver while removing nearly all other nearby noises, including sounds from televisions or other people talking, by picking up the sound of the user’s voice from directly inside the user’s head. What differentiates our technology is that it can be applied to various voice input devices to prevent the command errors that are common with existing voice services.” 

Workers assemble RippleBuds, an earbud that “talks through the ear,” at a Haebora plant in Shenzhen, China. (Haebora)

By the end of the month, Haebora will have completed delivery of the 13,000 RippleBuds orders it received in 2016 from all over the world via the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. Beginning in March, RippleBuds will be available through domestic sales networks and global online/offline distributors as well. Currently, regular shipments of the product are being made from the plant and subsidiary that the company has established in Shenzhen. In January, Haebora also opened an office in downtown Beijing, in line with the company’s plan to target the Chinese market. 　

Shin said, “Computer UIs are moving beyond the use of keyboards and mice and entering a new era of AI voice recognition. Our vision is to develop and produce a next-generation voice input device that is capable of responding to such change, providing customers with the highest level of convenience.”

Haebora receives consistent support for its overseas marketing and promotional activities from the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, which has recognized the incredible potential of Haebora’s technology and corporate vision.

(jshwang@heraldcorp.com)

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