If you’re like me, your fat thumbs may not have a problem doing emails and text messages, (thank you autocorrect). But when it comes to entering passwords, well… Now Nuance has released a new software platform that promises to allow developers to identify and assist a user within iOS apps!
The voice technology firm behind the Dragon Naturally Speaking line of voice applications for personal computers and the Dragon Dictation software built into iPhones on Monday announced Nina — a virtual assistant for mobile customer service apps that will allow companies to quickly add speech-based virtual assistant capabilities to their existing iOS and Android apps.
Nuance says Nina is the first virtual assistant to incorporate both speech recognition and voice biometrics into a single integrated solution. Nina will be made available to all developers through an open software development kit.
Nina combines Nuance speech recognition, Text-to-Speech (TTS), voice biometrics, and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technology into a single service working through the cloud, that not only understands what is said, but also can identify who is saying it.
The company is targeting companies such as banks, airlines, and insurance agencies. Their apps can be updated to allow customers to login, transfer funds, pay bills, reschedule flights, etc. using spoken commands. Nuance says the companies can even tailor their own “virtual assistant persona,” with customized visual appearances and custom TTS voices.
USAA, a financial services provider to members of the U.S. military, veterans, and thier families, will be the first to use Nina within its popular mobile app sometime next month. A pilot is planned for then. A formal launch to all USAA members is scheduled for next year.
Nina is currently available to developers in the US, UK, and Australia, with additional language support scheduled for later this year. Developers interested in integrating Nina into their apps can visit Nuance’s Nina page for more information.