Creoir has received support from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). (more…)

Saab, a global leader in defence technology, continuously seeks to innovate its products to ensure superior performance in operational environments. One such innovation is the integration of a Voice UI into their Future Operator Workspace powered by the 9LV Combat Management System (CMS). The project aims to enhance operator effectiveness by incorporating hands-free voice commands for non-combat critical functions, allowing officers to stay focused on mission-critical displays. This integration provides a significant technological advancement for naval operators, combining cutting-edge voice technology with the proven capabilities of Saab 9LV CMS and a robust, ergonomical design of the Future Operator Workspace.

Challenges 

Naval operators work under intense pressure, often managing complex systems that require multitasking and rapid decision-making. Saab 9LV CMS is built to handle these high workloads, enabling operators to control ship functions, sensors, weapons, and communication systems. However, operators can face cognitive overload when manually interacting with touch panels while managing multiple systems, which can slow down response times and reduce operational focus. The challenge was to relieve this burden by introducing a solution that could enable operators to perform routine tasks without diverting their attention from mission displays, especially in critical moments. This is where the Voice UI comes into play. 

Solution Overview 

The solution developed by Saab and Creoir integrates Creoir EdgeVUI™ voice solution into Saab Future Operator Workspace, a next-generation platform designed to optimize human-machine interaction in naval operations. The immersive workspace is built around multiple high-resolution displays, innovative input devices, and a human-centered design. These elements are tailored to reduce operator fatigue, enhance situational awareness, and improve decision-making in critical situations. 

By combining the Voice UI with the Future Operator Workspace, operators gain hands-free control over selected non-combat critical functions, such as adjusting radar settings, toggling views, and managing multiple displays. This integration allows operators to maintain focus on mission-critical information displayed on tactical screens while minimizing manual interaction with control panels. The Voice UI aligns with the workspace’s design philosophy, which emphasizes intuitive interfaces to support operator effectiveness in high-pressure environments. 

The Voice UI will be tested in real operational environments, with particular attention to noise-heavy conditions typical of naval vessels. Creoir’s expertise in far-field speech recognition and speech signal enhancement ensures that the system performs accurately, even in challenging environments. Development included acoustic simulations and testing in the Creoir audio lab, where mock workspaces were used to simulate real-life conditions. Noise scenarios were created to optimize microphone array placement and Speech Signal Enhancement algorithms were applied to optimize voice recognition accuracy.

This combination of Saab Future Operator Workspace and Creoir EdgeVUI™ voice solution represents a significant leap forward in operator efficiency, allowing for intuitive, hands-free control in naval operations. The workspace’s ergonomic and immersive design, paired with cutting-edge voice technology, sets a new standard for naval human-machine interaction.

Benefits of Voice UI 

The integration of the Voice UI into Saab 9LV CMS delivers several significant benefits: 

• Enhanced Multitasking: Operators can now handle routine functions like radar range adjustments or toggling between camera views using voice commands, keeping their hands free for more critical tasks. 

• Increased Efficiency: By allowing operators to keep their attention on the tactical displays, the Voice UI reduces the time spent interacting with control panels, improving overall efficiency and speed of execution. 

• Reduced Cognitive Load: The voice interface helps alleviate cognitive overload by reducing the need for manual multitasking, enabling operators to make faster, more focused decisions in high-pressure situations. 

• Technological Differentiation: With the addition of advanced Voice UI capabilities, Saab 9LV CMS is positioned to stand out in a competitive market, offering a unique value proposition to naval forces looking for cutting-edge technology to enhance their operations. 

Moreover, this project allows Saab to gather valuable feedback from users, which will help refine the Voice UI for future developments and potential applications across broader naval operations. The Voice UI will also be featured in Saab’s interactive demonstration at EURONAVAL 2024, further highlighting the company’s technological leadership. 

Conclusion 

The integration of Creoir EdgeVUI™ solution into Saab 9LV CMS marks a significant advancement in naval combat management technology. By addressing key challenges such as cognitive overload and manual multitasking, this collaboration enhances operator survivability and operational effectiveness. The combination of voice control and Saab-proven CMS provides a cutting-edge solution that will not only improve naval operations but also create new opportunities for Saab to differentiate itself in the market. The success of this project will be showcased at EURONAVAL 2024, where Saab will demonstrate its leadership in human-machine interaction and combat system innovation. 

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Earlier in 2023, the Forbes Technology Council released an article about their “Top 15 Intriguing (And Concerning Facts) About Voice-Activated Tech”. These fifteen concerns are understandable and most people can probably agree with them. At Creoir, since 2020 we’ve been developing a solution to address most of them and are proud to say that Creoir EdgeVUI™ tackles all the concerns about the safety, security, and privacy of voice user interfaces, voice assistants, and other voice-activated tech.

One of the key factors enabling a more safe and secure voice user experience is the edge operation of the voice user interface. Privacy concerns can be eliminated when all audio processing is done locally on the device and not sent to the cloud or other 3rd party services for processing. The user of Creoir EdgeVUI™ voice solution is always free of data privacy concerns, as per default Creoir EdgeVUI™ doesn’t store any audio data. The benefits and features of our voice solution can be found here!

Always listening cloud-connected voice assistant platforms are suitable for many consumer products and use cases. However, generally, they are not the way to go for industrial and professional use. Voice-activated tech solutions are advancing the workflow with secondary non-critical controls in industries such as medical devices and robotics, special vehicles and machinery controls, industrial and building automation, and collaborative robotics controls.

You can read the Forbes article, and their list of concerns about voice-activated tech, from the following link! https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/03/21/15-intriguing-and-concerning-facts-about-voice-activated-tech/?sh=7f0690664935