Cerence supports Pioneer's newly released NP1, an integrated natural conversational speech recognition engine

Today, Cerums and Pioneer Corporation announced details of a strategic partnership that was signed last year. Cerums will provide natural, conversational speech recognition technology to Pioneer’s recently launched NP1, a cloud-based hardware and software device. The NP1 will provide an intuitive, personalized experience for Japanese consumers in any type of car. Cerums and Pioneer will work together to deliver digital mobility services and experiences, creating recurring revenue opportunities for both parties.

NP1 is designed to be mounted on the vehicle windshield and is equipped with a front/rear camera and microphone/speaker system to create a "talking" driving partner for the driver. Relying on Cerence voice recognition and natural language understanding technology, NP1 allows drivers to safely and comfortably navigate to their destination and obtain clear voice guidance of lane driving directions simply through voice operation. NP1 is also equipped with Pioneer's latest Piomatix mobile AI platform, which supports OTA upgrades to ensure that technology and functions remain updated. In addition, NP1 provides a more personalized and smarter in-vehicle experience by learning the user's driving style and preferences.

“Today’s consumers have richer, more connected digital lives than ever before, and they want to extend that digital life into their cars,” said Shiro Yahara, CEO and President of Pioneer. “NP1 is designed to enable simpler, more powerful human-machine interactions that benefit drivers in their daily lives. We are excited to further collaborate with Cerence and leverage their industry-leading technology to achieve this goal.”

“It’s important that all drivers benefit from advances and innovations in AI and voice technology to enhance their in-car experience,” said Stefan Ortmanns, CEO of Cerence. “We are proud to be working with Pioneer to bring natural, conversational voice recognition to drivers and provide a safer, more comfortable and more efficient experience on the road.”