BMW Voice Control improves the way you talk to your car’s navigation and entertainment system
BMW will be updating the voice control system for the optional BMW Navigation Professional system in cars beginning September 2009 with a latest version that promises more natural interaction with your car.
The BMW New Voice Control system allows one single voice command to completely transmit the driver’s destination into the navigation system. The driver’s verbal statement specifying the place, street and number is processed immediately by the system, all data going directly into the navigation unit.
A driver can say “Berlin, Willy-Brandt-Strasse 1” and the navigation system will automatically translate this into the Federal Chancellery in the capital of Germany, and begin navigation directions to the destination. This means the system has an edge over Mercedes-Benz’s LINGUATRONIC, because it is able to “understand” a complete address entry.
You can also use it to control the entertainment system. It monitors and interprets the user’s voice commands regarding the type of music, the name of the artist, an album or an individual title.
Look after the jump for a video of how it works.
June 9, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
The age of ‘Night Rider’ is looming… : D
June 9, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
will it mute the music? else how does it pick up the voice from all the background noise?
June 9, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
still not convince with todays technology yet…I bet you’ll have to repeat again and again as the system couldn’t understand your command and you’ll be banging your head and switch back to manual…
June 9, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
So if we say Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman will it lead us to KL or Johor?
June 9, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
PLs dun make it too complicated…the cost to repair it will be skyrocket if broken …back to basic is ideal i think….no need stuffy things
June 9, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
omg.. i cant wait to watch jeremy clarkson makes fun of it
June 9, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
[quote comment="243777"]will it mute the music? else how does it pick up the voice from all the background noise?[/quote]
In the current implementation that I’ve tried out, to get the car to listen you have to press a button on the steering wheel, when that happens the music volume is brought down. I guess this new system will do the same.
June 9, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
Note: BMW and most car manufacturers in the west test their cars and systems thoroughly before they embark on introducin it on their cars. that is why their lifecycles for not only their cars but also technology is 6 to 8 years. because 2 years after something is launched they start researching on the replacement.
yeah back to basic is good. But some people would also like some technology. of course if the technology breaks down every now and then, then it is of no use. the voice recognition tech in the E65 7 series is good. no need for repetition. but that is only currently used in the context of calling using the car phone or changing radio channels. Tak der break down pun in 6 years of owning one.
June 9, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
how i wish i can name my car when i call its name within a range of..lets say 10m..it wil come to me…hahahaha
June 9, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
What happens when other people talk to as well?
Imagine driver wants to go to A, then at command moment, passenger shouts B.
Still some time away. Not like that E3 X-box 360 demo that girl talking to VR boy
June 9, 2009 @ 7:10 pm
This would be brilliant during balik kampung… your wife shouting to the darn thing to go back to her kampung and you want to your’s… eheheh
June 9, 2009 @ 7:25 pm
“Music!” … “Champagne!” …. “Mute my wife!”…. That will be perfect…
June 9, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
[quote comment="243822"]This would be brilliant during balik kampung… your wife shouting to the darn thing to go back to her kampung and you want to your’s… eheheh
[/quote]
Calvin,
Still it depends on who’s on the wheels, the system will only navigate the way but it doesn’t drive the car… but who need a navigation system to balik kampung?
Paul,
I wonder which software BMW apply for their voice recognition, are they using the IBM Embedded ViaVoice software?
Anyway, Honda is the first to equip automobiles with in-car navigation systems using advanced speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities.
Like the BMW one, it can identify spoken street and city names that exist across the entire continental United States… that was in 2005.
I still remember watching Star Trek when I was a kid, looking at the captain (what his name) talking to the space ship was really something to me…
Now only after couple of decades the technology is already available
My 2 cents
June 9, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
How about “Transform!!” …. ??
June 9, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
hmm..addition..
more nicer if the driver swears behind the wheel to other driver
and the car says it back louder ..
June 9, 2009 @ 9:52 pm
BMW …take me to Warong Nasi Beriyani , Tesco Ampang ….can or cannot haha
June 9, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
Paul, your adspace in main blog column (after 1st post) at 2006hrs June 9th contains explicit porno. Not that I’m super anti-porno, just didn’t expect to find it here. Take note?
June 9, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
[quote comment="243824"][quote comment="243822"]This would be brilliant during balik kampung… your wife shouting to the darn thing to go back to her kampung and you want to your’s… eheheh
[/quote]
Calvin,
Still it depends on who’s on the wheels, the system will only navigate the way but it doesn’t drive the car… but who need a navigation system to balik kampung?
Paul,
I wonder which software BMW apply for their voice recognition, are they using the IBM Embedded ViaVoice software?
Anyway, Honda is the first to equip automobiles with in-car navigation systems using advanced speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities.
Like the BMW one, it can identify spoken street and city names that exist across the entire continental United States… that was in 2005.
I still remember watching Star Trek when I was a kid, looking at the captain (what his name) talking to the space ship was really something to me…
Now only after couple of decades the technology is already available
My 2 cents[/quote]
Wak,
What i meant was it will confuse the system… chill Wak, we know it does not ‘drives’ the car
June 9, 2009 @ 11:06 pm
Boleh blah…. he he he …
Kedai mana masuk beb… address ajer…
Hospital Bahagia Tanjung Rambutan boleh la…
[quote comment="243840"]BMW …take me to Warong Nasi Beriyani , Tesco Ampang ….can or cannot haha[/quote]
June 9, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
I dont think it’ll work properly in malaysia. Cause the way we pronounce the malay street names is way different for what the germans would pronounce it.
June 10, 2009 @ 2:11 am
Singapore Beemer will accept Singlish while Malaysia Beemer will accept Malaylish.
“I wantugo KL-lah”
June 10, 2009 @ 2:40 am
Hey, can talk about the new Mazda 3 launch???
June 10, 2009 @ 2:44 am
i believe many Mazda fans out there..hey paul..why don’t you post for the newly launched mazda 3?
June 10, 2009 @ 2:46 am
so clever?
June 10, 2009 @ 9:25 am
[quote comment="243866"]Singapore Beemer will accept Singlish while Malaysia Beemer will accept Malaylish.
“I wantugo KL-lah”[/quote]
Then the car replies: “Haiya, I know LAH..”
June 10, 2009 @ 9:50 am
Talk about technology… European always trapped with electronics that they does not master with. Our company 7 series is in BMW official workshop at least 30 days a year, engineers flown in from Germany, yet they can’t solve the stupid I Drive error.
There is BMW electronic for you.
June 10, 2009 @ 10:15 am
Personally never experience driving a car with these voice activation systems, I am sure the system have to be tuned to suits the driver/owner voice pitch. What will happen when you have sore throat? or your uncle or father in-law wanna borrow the car?
Good excuse not to let people borrow your car I say !
June 10, 2009 @ 10:26 am
in the near future, these cars will become self-aware. then, judgment day happens!