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Secure voice response system

for unattended POS

mute mode at a drive-through food ordering point, the sys-
tem will not have to continuously listen for a valid food
order or need to differentiate between traffic noise, barking
dogs and human voices, Jarvis stated. When activated, the
devices, which are designed to survive in exposed or pub-
lic environments, can distinguish valid voice commands
by using the Mic Activation Sensor in combination with
Storm's beam focused Far Field Voice Array Microphone,
he added.
torm Interface, a manufacturer of keypads, key-
boards and custom computer interface devices, Active and obvious
created Array Microphone, a line of assistive
S technology devices designed for self-attended In addition to the need for publicly deployed microphones
POS environments. Merchants and service providers can to default to mute or become closed when not in use, they
must stand out when they are actively recording, Jarvis
confidently deploy these microphones in public and con-
cierge service environments because they fully comply noted, adding that this enables anyone within recording
range to be aware that the microphones are in use.
with security and privacy regulations, according to Peter
Jarvis, senior executive vice president at Storm Interface.
"The Storm ATP Microphone Activation Sensor uses a
highly visible and tactile microphone icon to indicate the
"It is our objective to provide high-fidelity voice reception presence of an active recording system," Jarvis said. "The
within a strictly limited field of reception designated as the
Addressable Zone," Jarvis said. "[Storm Interface's] beam fo- device also includes an infrared (IR) proximity sensor that
can be used to activate a microphone for Speech Recording
cusing technology limits voice reception or voice recording
to the zone immediately in front of the terminal. Only when or Voice Commanded applications." Some additional ways
to indicate live and active microphones are illuminating the
that zone is occupied by an informed, and microphone-
aware, terminal user will the microphone be activated." microphones with a bright white light or using an audio
tone or recorded message that can be triggered when the
mic is activated, Jarvis stated. Users can respond by press-
Jarvis noted that microphone manufacturers strive to ing a key or tapping a screen to confirm that they will be
achieve ever wider fields and range of voice reception,
but current privacy and security regulations require voice using the microphone at the POS.
recognition guidelines to be followed in public environ- Extended device family
ments. With growing demand for self-attended terminals
equipped with voice recording, voice recognition and Storm Interface has been manufacturing intelligent device
speech command features, merchants and third-party ser- interfaces for more than 30 years and deploys to more than
vice providers must ensure that their devices are fully com- 60 countries, Jarvis noted. Array microphones are available
pliant with government guidelines, he stated. in the following configurations:

Defined fields • Microphone Array Module: Ideal for use in speech
commanded applications and remote conference pro-
Compliant voice-enabled microphones must have clearly visioning, this USB peripheral requires no additional
defined fields of reception as well as confirming the pres- drivers or software and works with Storm Interface's
ence of an active user, Jarvis stated. Storm Interface ad- Microphone Activation Sensor.
dresses these requirements by automatically muting beam- • Microphone Activation Sensor: This USB peripheral
focused microphones when no one is present in an ad- device with illuminating microphone icon indicates
dressable zone. This prevents the system from interpreting the presence of a voice recording device. The micro-
background noise as a voice command at the POS, he noted. phone icon is highly visible and tactilely discernible.
For example, if a beam-focused microphone defaults to The device works with Storm ATP Microphone Array
Module and other sound recording devices.
Company: Storm Interface • Microphone Array Module Kit: Bundled together,
Product: Array Microphone the Array Microphone and the Microphone Activa-
tion Sensor provide a complete solution for voice rec-
Website: www.storm-interface.com ognition and voice communication applications in
Contact: sales@storm-interface.com unsupervised public spaces.

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