Picovoice
Picovoice is the end-to-end platform for building voice products on your terms. Unlike Alexa and Google services,Picovoice runs entirely on-device while being more accurate. Using Picovoice, one can infer a user’s intent from a naturally spoken utterance such as:
"Hey Edison, set the lights in the living room to blue"
Picovoice detects the occurrence of the custom wake word (Hey Edison), and then extracts the intent from the follow-on
spoken command:
{
"intent": "changeColor",
"slots": {
"location": "living room",
"color": "blue"
}
}
Why Picovoice
- Private & Secure: Everything is processed offline. Intrinsically private; HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
- Accurate: Resilient to noise and reverberation. Outperforms cloud-based alternatives by wide margins.
- Cross-Platform: Design once, deploy anywhere. Build using familiar languages and frameworks. Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone,
Android, iOS, Linux (x86_64), macOS (x86_64), Windows (x86_64), and modern web browsers are supported. Enterprise customers
can access the ARM Cortex-M SDK. - Self-Service: Design, train, and test voice interfaces instantly in your browser, using Picovoice Console.
- Reliable: Runs locally without needing continuous connectivity.
- Zero Latency: Edge-first architecture eliminates unpredictable network delay.
Build with Picovoice
-
Evaluate: The Picovoice SDK is a cross-platform library for adding voice to anything. It includes some
pre-trained speech models. The SDK is licensed under Apache 2.0 and available on GitHub to encourage independent
benchmarking and integration testing. You are empowered to make a data-driven decision. -
Design: Picovoice Console is a cloud-based platform for designing voice
interfaces and training speech models, all within your web browser. No machine learning skills are required. Simply
describe what you need with text and export trained models. -
Develop: Exported models can run on Picovoice SDK without requiring constant connectivity. The SDK runs on a wide
range of platforms and supports a large number of frameworks. The Picovoice Console and Picovoice SDK enable you to
design, build and iterate fast. -
Deploy: Deploy at scale without having to maintain complex cloud infrastructure. Avoid unbounded cloud fees,
limitations, and control imposed by big tech.
Platform Features
Custom Wake Words
Picovoice makes use of the Porcupine wake word engine to detect utterances of
given wake phrases. You can train custom wake words using Picovoice Console and then run the exported wake word model on
the Picovoice SDK.
Intent Inference
Picovoice relies on the Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine to directly infer user's
intent from spoken commands within a given domain of interest (a "context"). You can design and train custom contexts
for your product using Picovoice Console. The exported Rhino models then can run with the Picovoice SDK on any supported
platform.
License & Terms
The Picovoice SDK is free and licensed under Apache 2.0 including the models released within. Picovoice Console offers
two types of subscriptions: Personal and Enterprise. Personal accounts can train custom speech models that run on the
Picovoice SDK, subject to limitations and strictly for non-commercial purposes. Personal accounts empower researchers,
hobbyists, and tinkerers to experiment. Enterprise accounts can unlock all capabilities of Picovoice Console, are
permitted for use in commercial settings, and have a path to graduate to commercial distribution*.
Language Support
- English, German, French, and Spanish.
- Support for additional languages is available for commercial customers on a case-by-case basis.
Performance
Picovoice makes use of the Porcupine wake word engine to detect utterances of
given wake phrases. An open-source benchmark of Porcupine is available
here. In summary, compared to the best-performing alternative,
Porcupine's standard model is 5.4 times more accurate.
Picovoice relies on the Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine to directly infer user's
intent from spoken commands within a given domain of interest (a "context"). An open-source benchmark of Rhino is
available here. Rhino outperforms all major cloud-based
alternatives with wide margins.
Picovoice Console
Picovoice Console is a web-based platform for designing, testing, and training voice
user interfaces. Using Picovoice Console you can train custom wake word, and domain-specific NLU (Speech-to-Intent)
models.
Demos
If using SSH, clone the repository with:
git clone --recurse-submodules [email protected]:Picovoice/picovoice.git
If using HTTPS, clone the repository with:
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Picovoice/picovoice.git
Python Demos
Install PyAudio and then the demo package:
sudo pip3 install picovoicedemo
From the root of the repository run the following in the terminal:
picovoice_demo_mic \
--keyword_path resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/porcupine_${PLATFORM}.ppn \
--context_path resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/smart_lighting_${PLATFORM}.rhn
Replace ${PLATFORM} with the platform you are running the demo on (e.g. raspberry-pi, beaglebone, linux, mac,
or windows). The microphone demo opens an audio stream from the microphone, detects utterances of a given wake
phrase, and infers intent from the follow-on spoken command. Once the demo initializes, it prints [Listening ...]
to the console. Then say:
Porcupine, set the lights in the kitchen to purple.
Upon success, the demo prints the following into the terminal:
[wake word]
{
intent : 'changeColor'
slots : {
location : 'kitchen'
color : 'purple'
}
}
For more information regarding Python demos refer to their documentation.
NodeJS Demos
Make sure there is a working microphone connected to your device. Refer to documentation within
node-record-lpm16 to set up your microphone for access from NodeJS.
Then install the demo package:
npm install -g @picovoice/picovoice-node-demo
From the root of the repository run:
pv-mic-demo \
-k resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/porcupine_${PLATFORM}.ppn \
-c resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/smart_lighting_${PLATFORM}.rhn
Replace ${PLATFORM} with the platform you are running the demo on (e.g. raspberry-pi, linux, or mac). The
microphone demo opens an audio stream from the microphone, detects utterances of a given wake
phrase, and infers intent from the follow-on spoken command. Once the demo initializes, it prints
Listening for wake word 'porcupine' ... to the console. Then say:
Porcupine, turn on the lights.
Upon success, the demo prints the following into the terminal:
Inference:
{
"isUnderstood": true,
"intent": "changeLightState",
"slots": {
"state": "on"
}
}
Please see the demo instructions for details.
.NET Demos
Install OpenAL. From the root of the repository run the following in the terminal:
dotnet run -p demo/dotnet/PicovoiceDemo/PicovoiceDemo.csproj -c MicDemo.Release -- \
--keyword_path resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/porcupine_${PLATFORM}.ppn \
--context_path resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/smart_lighting_${PLATFORM}.rhn
Replace ${PLATFORM} with the platform you are running the demo on (e.g. linux, mac, or windows). The microphone
demo opens an audio stream from the microphone, detects utterances of a given wake phrase, and infers intent from the
follow-on spoken command. Once the demo initializes, it prints Listening... to the console. Then say:
Porcupine, set the lights in the kitchen to orange.
Upon success the following it printed into the terminal:
[wake word]
{
intent : 'changeColor'
slots : {
location : 'kitchen'
color : 'orange'
}
}
For more information about .NET demos go to demo/dotnet.
Java Demos
Make sure there is a working microphone connected to your device. Then invoke the following commands from the terminal:
cd demo/java
./gradlew build
cd build/libs
java -jar picovoice-mic-demo.jar \
-k resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/porcupine_${PLATFORM}.ppn \
-c resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/smart_lighting_${PLATFORM}.rhn
Replace ${PLATFORM} with the platform you are running the demo on (e.g. linux, mac, or windows). The microphone
demo opens an audio stream from the microphone, detects utterances of a given wake phrase, and infers intent from the
follow-on spoken command. Once the demo initializes, it prints Listening ... to the console. Then say:
Porcupine, set the lights in the kitchen to orange.
Upon success the following it printed into the terminal:
[wake word]
{
intent : 'changeColor'
slots : {
location : 'kitchen'
color : 'orange'
}
}
For more information about the Java demos go to demo/java.
Go Demos
The Go microphone demo uses malgo for cross-platform audio capture. It requires cgo, which on Windows may mean that you need to install a gcc compiler like Mingw to build it properly.
From demo/go run the following command from the terminal to build and run the mic demo:
go run micdemo/picovoice_mic_demo.go \
-keyword_path "../../resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/porcupine_${PLATFORM}.ppn" \
-context_path "../../resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/smart_lighting_${PLATFORM}.rhn"
Replace ${PLATFORM} with the platform you are running the demo on (e.g. linux, mac, or windows). The microphone
demo opens an audio stream from the microphone, detects utterances of a given wake phrase, and infers intent from the
follow-on spoken command. Once the demo initializes, it prints Listening ... to the console. Then say:
Porcupine, set the lights in the kitchen to orange.
Upon success the following it printed into the terminal:
[wake word]
{
intent : 'changeColor'
slots : {
location : 'kitchen'
color : 'orange'
}
}
For more information about the Go demos go to demo/go.
Unity Demos
To run the Picovoice Unity demo, import the Picovoice Unity package into your project, open the PicovoiceDemo scene and hit play. To run on other platforms or in the player, go to File > Build Settings, choose your platform and hit the Build and Run button.
To browse the demo source go to demo/unity.
Flutter Demos
To run the Picovoice demo on Android or iOS with Flutter, you must have the Flutter SDK installed on your system. Once installed, you can run flutter doctor to determine any other missing requirements for your relevant platform. Once your environment has been set up, launch a simulator or connect an Android/iOS device.
Before launching the app, use the copy_assets.sh script to copy the Picovoice demo assets into the demo project. (NOTE: on Windows, Git Bash or another bash shell is required, or you will have to manually copy the context into the project.).
Run the following command from demo/flutter to build and deploy the demo to your device:
flutter run
Once the application has been deployed, press the start button and say:
Picovoice, turn of the lights in the kitchen.
For the full set of supported commands refer to demo's readme.
React Native Demos
To run the React Native Picovoice demo app you'll first need to install yarn and setup your React Native environment. For this, please refer to React Native's documentation. Once your environment has been set up, you can run the following commands:
Running On Android
cd demo/react-native
yarn android-install # sets up environment
yarn android-run # builds and deploys to Android
Running On iOS
cd demo/react-native
yarn ios-install # sets up environment
yarn ios-run # builds and deploys to iOS
Once the application has been deployed, press the start button and say
Porcupine, turn of the lights in the kitchen.
For the full set of supported commands refer to demo's readme.
Android Demos
Using Android Studio, open demo/android/Activity as an Android project and then run the
application. Press the start button and say
Porcupine, turn of the lights in the kitchen.
For the full set of supported commands refer to demo's readme.
iOS Demos
Before building the demo app, run the following from this directory to install the Picovoice-iOS Cocoapod:
pod install
Then, using Xcode, open the generated PicovoiceDemo.xcworkspace and run the application. Press the start button and say:
Porcupine, shut of the lights in the living room.
For the full set of supported commands refer to demo's readme.
Web Demos
Vanilla JavaScript and HTML
From demo/web run the following in the terminal:
yarn
yarn start
(or)
npm install
npm run start
Open http://localhost:5000 in your browser to try the demo.
Angular Demos
From demo/angular run the following in the terminal:
yarn
yarn start
(or)
npm install
npm run start
Open http://localhost:4200 in your browser to try the demo.
React Demos
From demo/react run the following in the terminal:
yarn
yarn start
(or)
npm install
npm run start
Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser to try the demo.
Vue Demos
From demo/vue run the following in the terminal:
yarn
yarn serve
(or)
npm install
npm run serve
Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser to try the demo.
C Demos
The C demo requires CMake version 3.4 or higher.
The Microphone demo requires miniaudio for accessing microphone audio data.
Windows Requires MinGW to build the demo.
Microphone Demo
At the root of the repository, build with:
cmake -S demo/c/. -B demo/c/build && cmake --build demo/c/build --target picovoice_demo_mic
Linux (x86_64), macOS (x86_64), Raspberry Pi, and BeagleBone
List input audio devices with:
https://github.com/Picovoice/picovoice/blob/master/demo/c/build/picovoice_demo_mic --show_audio_devices
Run the demo using:
https://github.com/Picovoice/picovoice/blob/master/demo/c/build/picovoice_demo_mic \
${PICOVOICE_LIBRARY_PATH} \
resources/porcupine/lib/common/porcupine_params.pv \
resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/picovoice_${PLATFORM}.ppn \
0.5 \
resources/rhino/lib/common/rhino_params.pv \
resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/smart_lighting_${PLATFORM}.rhn \
0.5 \
{AUDIO_DEVICE_INDEX}
Replace ${LIBRARY_PATH} with path to appropriate library available under /sdk/c/lib, ${PLATFORM} with the
name of the platform you are running on (linux, raspberry-pi, mac, or beaglebone), and ${AUDIO_DEVICE_INDEX} with
the index of your audio device.
Windows
List input audio devices with:
.\\demo\\c\\build\\picovoice_demo_mic.exe --show_audio_devices
Run the demo using:
.\\demo\\c\\build\\picovoice_demo_mic.exe sdk/c/lib/windows/amd64/libpicovoice.dll resources/porcupine/lib/common/porcupine_params.pv resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/windows/picovoice_windows.ppn 0.5 resources/rhino/lib/common/rhino_params.pv resources/rhino/resources/contexts/windows/smart_lighting_windows.rhn 0.5 {AUDIO_DEVICE_INDEX}
Replace ${AUDIO_DEVICE_INDEX} with the index of your audio device.
The demo opens an audio stream and waits for the wake word "Picovoice" to be detected. Once it is detected, it infers
your intent from spoken commands in the context of a smart lighting system. For example, you can say:
"Turn on the lights in the bedroom."
File Demo
At the root of the repository, build with:
cmake -S demo/c/. -B demo/c/build && cmake --build demo/c/build --target picovoice_demo_file
Linux (x86_64), macOS (x86_64), Raspberry Pi, and BeagleBone
Run the demo using:
https://github.com/Picovoice/picovoice/blob/master/demo/c/build/picovoice_demo_file \
${LIBRARY_PATH} \
resources/porcupine/lib/common/porcupine_params.pv \
resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/${PLATFORM}/picovoice_${PLATFORM}.ppn \
0.5 \
resources/rhino/lib/common/rhino_params.pv \
resources/rhino/resources/contexts/${PLATFORM}/coffee_maker_${PLATFORM}.rhn \
0.5 \
resources/audio_samples/picovoice-coffee.wav
Replace ${LIBRARY_PATH} with path to appropriate library available under sdk/c/lib, ${PLATFORM} with the
name of the platform you are running on (linux, raspberry-pi, mac, or beaglebone).
Windows
Run the demo using:
.\\demo\\c\\build\\picovoice_demo_file.exe sdk/c/lib/windows/amd64/libpicovoice.dll resources/porcupine/lib/common/porcupine_params.pv resources/porcupine/resources/keyword_files/windows/picovoice_windows.ppn 0.5 resources/rhino/lib/common/rhino_params.pv resources/rhino/resources/contexts/windows/coffee_maker_windows.rhn 0.5 resources/audio_samples/picovoice-coffee.wav
The demo opens up the WAV file. It detects the wake word and infers the intent in the context of a coffee maker system.
For more information about C demos go to demo/c.
Microcontroller Demos
There are several projects for various development boards inside the mcu demo folder.
SDKs
Python
Install the package:
pip3 install picovoice
Create a new instance of Picovoice:
from picovoice import Picovoice
keyword_path = ...
def wake_word_callback():
pass
context_path = ...
def inference_callback(inference):
print(inference.is_understood)
print(inference.intent)
print(inference.slots)
handle = Picovoice(
keyword_path=keyword_path,
wake_word_callback=wake_word_callback,
context_path=context_path,
inference_callback=inference_callback)
handle is an instance of the Picovoice runtime engine. It detects utterances of wake phrase defined in the file located at
keyword_path. Upon detection of wake word it starts inferring user's intent from the follow-on voice command within
the context defined by the file located at context_path. keyword_path is the absolute path to the
Porcupine wake word engine keyword file (with .ppn extension).
context_path is the absolute path to the Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine context file
(with .rhn extension). wake_word_callback is invoked upon the detection of wake phrase and inference_callback is
invoked upon completion of follow-on voice command inference.
When instantiated, the required rate can be obtained via handle.sample_rate. Expected number of audio samples per
frame is handle.frame_length. The engine accepts 16-bit linearly-encoded PCM and operates on single-channel audio. The
set of supported commands can be retrieved (in YAML format) via handle.context_info.
def get_next_audio_frame():
pass
while True:
handle.process(get_next_audio_frame())
When done, resources have to be released explicitly handle.delete().
NodeJS
The Picovoice SDK for NodeJS is available from NPM:
yarn add @picovoice/picovoice-node
(or)
npm install @picovoice/picovoice-node
The SDK provides the Picovoice class. Create an instance of this class using a Porcupine keyword (with .ppn extension)
and Rhino context file (with .rhn extension), as well as callback functions that will be invoked on wake word detection
and command inference completion events, respectively:
const Picovoice = require("@picovoice/picovoice-node");
let keywordCallback = function (keyword) {
console.log(`Wake word detected`);
};
let inferenceCallback = function (inference) {
console.log("Inference:");
console.log(JSON.stringify(inference, null, 4));
};
let handle = new Picovoice(
keywordArgument,
keywordCallback,
contextPath,
inferenceCallback
);
The keywordArgument can either be a path to a Porcupine keyword file (.ppn), or one of the built-in keywords
(integer enums). The contextPath is the path to the Rhino context file (.rhn).
Upon constructing the Picovoice class, send it frames of audio via its process method. Internally, Picovoice will
switch between wake word detection and inference. The Picovoice class includes frameLength and sampleRate properties
for the format of audio required.
// process audio frames that match the Picovoice requirements (16-bit linear pcm audio, single-channel)
while (true) {
handle.process(frame);
}
As the audio is processed through the Picovoice engines, the callbacks will fire.
.NET
You can install the latest version of Picovoice by adding the latest
Picovoice NuGet package in Visual Studio or using the .NET CLI.
dotnet add package Picovoice
To create an instance of Picovoice, do the following:
using Pv;
string keywordPath = "/absolute/path/to/keyword.ppn";
void wakeWordCallback() => {..}
string contextPath = "/absolute/path/to/context.rhn";
void inferenceCallback(Inference inference)
{
// `inference` exposes three immutable properties:
// (1) `IsUnderstood`
// (2) `Intent`
// (3) `Slots`
// ..
}
Picovoice handle = new Picovoice(keywordPath,
wakeWordCallback,
contextPath,
inferenceCallback);
handle is an instance of Picovoice runtime engine that detects utterances of wake phrase defined in the file located at
keywordPath. Upon detection of wake word it starts inferring user's intent from the follow-on voice command within
the context defined by the file located at contextPath. keywordPath is the absolute path to
Porcupine wake word engine keyword file (with .ppn extension).
contextPath is the absolute path to Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine context file
(with .rhn extension). wakeWordCallback is invoked upon the detection of wake phrase and inferenceCallback is
invoked upon completion of follow-on voice command inference.
When instantiated, the required sample rate can be obtained via handle.SampleRate. The expected number of audio samples per
frame is handle.FrameLength. The Picovoice engine accepts 16-bit linearly-encoded PCM and operates on single-channel audio.
short[] GetNextAudioFrame()
{
// .. get audioFrame
return audioFrame;
}
while(true)
{
handle.Process(GetNextAudioFrame());
}
Porcupine will have its resources freed by the garbage collector, but to have resources freed
immediately after use, wrap it in a using statement:
using(Picovoice handle = new Picovoice(keywordPath, wakeWordCallback, contextPath, inferenceCallback))
{
// .. Picovoice usage here
}
Java
The Picovoice Java library is available from Maven Central at ai.picovoice:picovoice-java:${version}.
The easiest way to create an instance of the engine is with the Picovoice Builder:
import ai.picovoice.picovoice.*;
String keywordPath = "/absolute/path/to/keyword.ppn"
PicovoiceWakeWordCallback wakeWordCallback = () -> {..};
String contextPath = "/absolute/path/to/context.rhn"
PicovoiceInferenceCallback inferenceCallback = inference -> {
// `inference` exposes three getters:
// (1) `getIsUnderstood()`
// (2) `getIntent()`
// (3) `getSlots()`
// ..
};
try{
Picovoice handle = new Picovoice.Builder()
.setKeywordPath(keywordPath)
.setWakeWordCallback(wakeWordCallback)
.setContextPath(contextPath)
.setInferenceCallback(inferenceCallback)
.build();
} catch (PicovoiceException e) { }
handle is an instance of the Picovoice runtime engine that detects utterances of wake phrase defined in the file located at
keywordPath. Upon detection of wake word it starts inferring the user's intent from the follow-on voice command within
the context defined by the file located at contextPath. keywordPath is the absolute path to
Porcupine wake word engine keyword file (with .ppn extension).
contextPath is the absolute path to Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine context file
(with .rhn extension). wakeWordCallback is invoked upon the detection of wake phrase and inferenceCallback is
invoked upon completion of follow-on voice command inference.
When instantiated, the required sample rate can be obtained via handle.getSampleRate(). The expected number of audio samples per
frame is handle.getFrameLength(). The Picovoice engine accepts 16-bit linearly-encoded PCM and operates on single-channel audio.
short[] getNextAudioFrame()
{
// .. get audioFrame
return audioFrame;
}
while(true)
{
handle.process(getNextAudioFrame());
}
Once you're done with Picovoice, ensure you release its resources explicitly:
handle.delete();
Go
To install the Picovoice Go module to your project, use the command:
go get github.com/Picovoice/picovoice/sdk/go
To create an instance of the engine with default parameters, use the NewPicovoice function. You must provide a Porcupine keyword file, a wake word detection callback function, a Rhino context file and a inference callback function. You must then make a call to Init().
. "github.com/Picovoice/picovoice/sdk/go"
rhn "github.com/Picovoice/rhino/binding/go"
keywordPath := "/path/to/keyword/file.ppn"
wakeWordCallback := func(){
// let user know wake word detected
}
contextPath := "/path/to/keyword/file.rhn"
inferenceCallback := func(inference rhn.RhinoInference){
if inference.IsUnderstood {
intent := inference.Intent
slots := inference.Slots
// add code to take action based on inferred intent and slot values
} else {
// add code to handle unsupported commands
}
}
picovoice := NewPicovoice(keywordPath,
wakeWordCallback,
contextPath,
inferenceCallback)
err := picovoice.Init()
if err != nil {
// handle error
}
Upon detection of wake word defined by keywordPath it starts inferring user's intent from the follow-on voice command within
the context defined by the file located at contextPath. keywordPath is the absolute path to
Porcupine wake word engine keyword file (with .ppn suffix).
contextPath is the absolute path to Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine context file
(with .rhn suffix). wakeWordCallback is invoked upon the detection of wake phrase and inferenceCallback is
invoked upon completion of follow-on voice command inference.
When instantiated, valid sample rate can be obtained via SampleRate. Expected number of audio samples per
frame is FrameLength. The engine accepts 16-bit linearly-encoded PCM and operates on single-channel audio.
func getNextFrameAudio() []int16{
// get audio frame
}
for {
err := picovoice.Process(getNextFrameAudio())
}
When done resources have to be released explicitly
picovoice.Delete()
Unity
Import the Picovoice Unity Package into your Unity project.
The SDK provides two APIs:
High-Level API
PicovoiceManager provides a high-level API that takes care of audio recording. This is the quickest way to get started.
The constructor PicovoiceManager.Create will create an instance of the PicovoiceManager using the Porcupine keyword and Rhino context files that you pass to it.
using Pv.Unity;
PicovoiceManager _picovoiceManager = new PicovoiceManager(
"/path/to/keyword/file.ppn",
() => {},
"/path/to/context/file.rhn",
(inference) => {};
Once you have instantiated a PicovoiceManager, you can start/stop audio capture and processing by calling:
try
{
_picovoiceManager.Start();
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
Debug.LogError(ex.ToString());
}
// .. use picovoice
_picovoiceManager.Stop();
PicovoiceManager uses our
unity-voice-processor
Unity package to capture frames of audio and automatically pass it to the Picovoice platform.
Low-Level API
Picovoice provides low-level access to the Picovoice platform for those
who want to incorporate it into a already existing audio processing pipeline.
Picovoice is created by passing a Porcupine keyword file and Rhino context file to the Create static constructor.
using Pv.Unity;
try
{
Picovoice _picovoice = Picovoice.Create(
"path/to/keyword/file.ppn",
OnWakeWordDetected,
"path/to/context/file.rhn",
OnInferenceResult);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
// handle Picovoice init error
}
To use Picovoice, you must pass frames of audio to the Process function. The callbacks will automatically trigger when the wake word is detected and then when the follow-on command is detected.
short[] GetNextAudioFrame()
{
// .. get audioFrame
return audioFrame;
}
short[] buffer = GetNextAudioFrame();
try
{
_picovoice.Process(buffer);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.LogError(ex.ToString());
}
For Process to work correctly, the provided audio must be single-channel and 16-bit linearly-encoded.
Picovoice implements the IDisposable interface, so you can use Picovoice in a using block. If you don't use a using block, resources will be released by the garbage collector automatically or you can explicitly release the resources like so:
_picovoice.Dispose();
Flutter
Add the Picovoice Flutter package to your pub.yaml.
dependencies:
picovoice: ^<version>
The SDK provides two APIs:
High-Level API
PicovoiceManager provides a high-level API that takes care of
audio recording. This class is the quickest way to get started.
The static constructor PicovoiceManager.create will create an instance of a PicovoiceManager using a Porcupine keyword file and Rhino context file that you pass to it.
import 'package:picovoice/picovoice_manager.dart';
import 'package:picovoice/picovoice_error.dart';
void createPicovoiceManager() {
_picovoiceManager = PicovoiceManager.create(
"/path/to/keyword/file.ppn",
_wakeWordCallback,
"/path/to/context/file.rhn",
_inferenceCallback);
}
The wakeWordCallback and inferenceCallback parameters are functions that you want to execute when a wake word is detected and when an inference is made.
Once you have instantiated a PicovoiceManager, you can start/stop audio capture and processing by calling:
await _picovoiceManager.start();
// .. use for detecting wake words and commands
await _picovoiceManager.stop();
Our flutter_voice_processor
Flutter plugin handles audio capture and passes frames to Picovoice for you.
Low-Level API
Picovoice provides low-level access to the Picovoice platform for those
who want to incorporate it into a already existing audio processing pipeline.
Picovoice is created by passing a a Porcupine keyword file and Rhino context file to the create static constructor. Sensitivity and model files are optional.
import 'package:picovoice/picovoice_manager.dart';
import 'package:picovoice/picovoice_error.dart';
void createPicovoice() async {
double porcupineSensitivity = 0.7;
double rhinoSensitivity = 0.6;
try{
_picovoice = await Picovoice.create(
"/path/to/keyword/file.ppn",
wakeWordCallback,
"/path/to/context/file.rhn",
inferenceCallback,
porcupineSensitivity,
rhinoSensitivity,
"/path/to/porcupine/model.pv",
"/path/to/rhino/model.pv");
} on PvError catch (err) {
// handle picovoice init error
}
}
To use Picovoice, just pass frames of audio to the process function. The callbacks will automatically trigger when the wake word is detected and then when the follow-on command is detected.
List<int> buffer = getAudioFrame();
try {
_picovoice.process(buffer);
} on PvError catch (error) {
// handle error
}
// once you are done using Picovoice
_picovoice.delete();
React Native
First add our React Native modules to your project via yarn or npm:
yarn add @picovoice/react-native-voice-processor
yarn add @picovoice/porcupine-react-native
yarn add @picovoice/rhino-react-native
yarn add @picovoice/picovoice-react-native
The @picovoice/picovoice-react-native package exposes a high-level and a low-level API for integrating Picovoice into your application.
High-Level API
PicovoiceManager provides a high-level API that takes care of
audio recording. This class is the quickest way to get started.
The static constructor PicovoiceManager.create will create an instance of a PicovoiceManager using a Porcupine keyword file and Rhino context file that you pass to it.
this._picovoiceManager = PicovoiceManager.create(
'/path/to/keyword/file.ppn',
wakeWordCallback,
'/path/to/context/file.rhn',
inferenceCallback);
The wakeWordCallback and inferenceCallback parameters are functions that you want to execute when a wake word is detected and when an inference is made.
Once you have instantiated a PicovoiceManager, you can start/stop audio capture and processing by calling:
try {
let didStart = await this._picovoiceManager.start();
} catch(err) { }
// .. use for detecting wake words and commands
let didStop = await this._picovoiceManager.stop();
@picovoice/react-native-voice-processor
module handles audio capture and passes frames to Picovoice for you.
Low-Level API
Picovoice provides low-level access to the Picovoice platform for those
who want to incorporate it into a already existing audio processing pipeline.
Picovoice is created by passing a a Porcupine keyword file and Rhino context file to the create static constructor. Sensitivity and model files are optional.
async createPicovoice(){
let porcupineSensitivity = 0.7
let rhinoSensitivity = 0.6
try{
this._picovoice = await Picovoice.create(
'/path/to/keyword/file.ppn',
wakeWordCallback,
'/path/to/context/file.rhn',
inferenceCallback,
porcupineSensitivity,
rhinoSensitivity,
"/path/to/porcupine/model.pv",
"/path/to/rhino/model.pv")
} catch (err) {
// handle error
}
}
To use Picovoice, just pass frames of audio to the process function. The callbacks will automatically trigger when the wake word is detected and then when the follow-on command is detected.
let buffer = getAudioFrame();
try {
await this._picovoice.process(buffer);
} catch (e) {
// handle error
}
// once you are done
this._picovoice.delete();
Android
Porcupine can be found on Maven Central. To include the package in your Android project, ensure you have included mavenCentral() in your top-level build.gradle file and then add the following to your app's build.gradle:
dependencies {
// ...
implementation 'ai.picovoice:picovoice-android:1.1.0'
}
There are two possibilities for integrating Picovoice into an Android application.
High-Level API
PicovoiceManager provides
a high-level API for integrating Picovoice into Android applications. It manages all activities related to creating an
input audio stream, feeding it into Picovoice engine, and invoking user-defined callbacks upon wake word detection and
inference completion. The class can be initialized as follows:
import ai.picovoice.picovoice.*;
PicovoiceManager manager = new PicovoiceManager(
.setKeywordPath("path/to/keyword/file.ppn")
.setWakeWordCallback(new PicovoiceWakeWordCallback() {
@Override
public void invoke() {
// logic to execute upon deletection of wake word
}
})
.setContextPath("path/to/context/file.rhn")
.setInferenceCallback(new PicovoiceInferenceCallback() {
@Override
public void invoke(final RhinoInference inference) {
// logic to execute upon completion of intent inference
}
})
.build(appContext);
);
The appContext parameter is the Android application context - this is used to extract Picovoice resources from the APK.
When initialized, input audio can be processed using:
manager.start();
Stop the manager with:
manager.stop();
Low-Level API
Picovoice.java provides a
low-level binding for Android. It can be initialized as follows:
import ai.picovoice.picovoice.*;
try {
Picovoice picovoice = new Picovoice.Builder()
.setPorcupineModelPath("/path/to/porcupine/model.pv")
.setKeywordPath("/path/to/keyword.ppn")
.setPorcupineSensitivity(0.7f)
.setWakeWordCallback(new PicovoiceWakeWordCallback() {
@Override
public void invoke() {
// logic to execute upon deletection of wake word
}
})
.setRhinoModelPath("/path/to/rhino/model.pv")
.setContextPath("/path/to/context.rhn")
.setRhinoSensitivity(0.55f)
.setInferenceCallback(new PicovoiceInferenceCallback() {
@Override
public void invoke(final RhinoInference inference) {
// logic to execute upon completion of intent inference
}
})
.build(appContext);
} catch(PicovoiceException ex) { }
Once initialized, picovoice can be used to process incoming audio.
private short[] getNextAudioFrame();
while (true) {
try {
picovoice.process(getNextAudioFrame());
} catch (PicovoiceException e) {
// error handling logic
}
}
Finally, be sure to explicitly release resources acquired as the binding class does not rely on the garbage collector for releasing native resources:
picovoice.delete();
iOS
The Picovoice iOS SDK is available via Cocoapods. To import it into your iOS project install Cocoapods and add the following line to your Podfile:
pod 'Picovoice-iOS'
There are two possibilities for integrating Picovoice into an iOS application.
High-Level API
PicovoiceManager class manages all activities related to creating an audio input
stream, feeding it into Picovoice engine, and invoking user-defined callbacks upon wake word detection and completion of
intent inference. The class can be initialized as below:
import Picovoice
PicovoiceManager manager = PicovoiceManager(
keywordPath: "/path/to/keyword.ppn",
onWakeWordDetection: {
// logic to execute upon deletection of wake word
},
contextPath: "/path/to/context.rhn",
onInference: { inference in
// logic to execute upon completion of intent inference
})
when initialized input audio can be processed using manager.start(). The processing can be interrupted using
manager.stop().
Low-Level API
Picovoice.swift provides an API for passing audio from your own audio pipeline into the Picovoice Platform for wake word detection and intent inference.
o constuct an instance, you'll need to provide a Porcupine keyword file (.ppn), a Rhino context file (.rhn) and callbacks for when the wake word is detected and an inference is made. Sensitivity and model parameters are optional
import Picovoice
do {
Picovoice picovoice = try Picovoice(
keywordPath: "/path/to/keyword.ppn",
porcupineSensitivity: 0.4,
porcupineModelPath: "/path/to/porcupine/model.pv"
onWakeWordDetection: {
// logic to execute upon deletection of wake word
},
contextPath: "/path/to/context.rhn",
rhinoSensitivity: 0.7,
rhinoModelPath: "/path/to/rhino/model.pv"
onInference: { inference in
// logic to execute upon completion of intent inference
})
} catch { }
Once initialized, picovoice can be used to process incoming audio. The underlying logic of the class will handle switching between wake word detection and intent inference, as well as invoking the associated events.
func getNextAudioFrame() -> [Int16] {
// .. get audioFrame
return audioFrame;
}
while (true) {
do {
try picovoice.process(getNextAudioFrame());
} catch { }
}
Once you're done with an instance of Picovoice you can force it to release its native resources rather than waiting for the garbage collector:
picovoice.delete();
Web
The Picovoice SDK for Web is available on modern web browsers (i.e. not Internet Explorer) via WebAssembly. Microphone audio is handled via the Web Audio API and is abstracted by the WebVoiceProcessor, which also handles downsampling to the correct format. Picovoice is provided pre-packaged as a Web Worker.
Each spoken language is available as a dedicated npm package (e.g. @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker). These packages can be used with the @picovoice/web-voice-processor. They can also be used with the Angular, React, and Vue bindings, which abstract and hide the web worker communication details.
Vanilla JavaScript and HTML (CDN Script Tag)
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/@picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker/dist/iife/index.js"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/@picovoice/web-voice-processor/dist/iife/index.js"></script>
<script type="application/javascript">
const RHINO_CONTEXT_BASE64 = /* Base64 representation of Rhino .rhn file */;
async function startPicovoice() {
console.log("Picovoice is loading. Please wait...");
picovoiceWorker = await PicovoiceWebEnWorker.PicovoiceWorkerFactory.create(
{
porcupineKeyword: { builtin: "Picovoice" },
rhinoContext: { base64: RHINO_CONTEXT_BASE64 },
start: true,
}
);
console.log("Picovoice worker ready!");
picovoiceWorker.onmessage = (msg) => {
switch (msg.data.command) {
case "ppn-keyword": {
console.log(
"Wake word detected: " + JSON.stringify(msg.data.keywordLabel)
);
break;
}
case "rhn-inference":
{
console.log(
"Inference detected: " + JSON.stringify(msg.data.inference)
);
break;
}
writeMessage(msg);
}
};
console.log(
"WebVoiceProcessor initializing. Microphone permissions requested ..."
);
try {
let webVp = await WebVoiceProcessor.WebVoiceProcessor.init({
engines: [picovoiceWorker],
start: true,
});
console.log(
"WebVoiceProcessor ready! Say 'Picovoice' to start the interaction."
);
} catch (e) {
console.log("WebVoiceProcessor failed to initialize: " + e);
}
}
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {
startPicovoice();
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Vanilla JavaScript and HTML (ES Modules)
yarn add @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker @picovoice/web-voice-processor
(or)
npm install @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker @picovoice/web-voice-processor
import { WebVoiceProcessor } from "@picovoice/web-voice-processor"
import { PicovoiceWorkerFactory } from "@picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker";
async function startPicovoice() {
// Create a Picovoice Worker (English language) to listen for
// the built-in keyword "Picovoice" and follow-on commands in the given Rhino context.
// Note: you receive a Web Worker object, _not_ an individual Picovoice instance
const picovoiceWorker = await PicovoiceWorkerFactory.create(
{
porcupineKeyword: { builtin: "Picovoice" },
rhinoContext: { base64: RHINO_CONTEXT_BASE64 },
start: true,
}
);
// The worker will send a message with data.command = "ppn-keyword" upon a detection event
// And data.command = "rhn-inference" when the follow-on inference concludes.
// Here, we tell it to log it to the console:
picovoiceWorker.onmessage = (msg) => {
switch (msg.data.command) {
case 'ppn-keyword':
// Wake word detection
console.log("Wake word: " + msg.data.keywordLabel);
break;
case 'rhn-inference:
// Follow-on command inference concluded
console.log("Inference: " + msg.data.inference)
default:
break;
}
};
// Start up the web voice processor. It will request microphone permission
// and immediately (start: true) start listening.
// It downsamples the audio to voice recognition standard format (16-bit 16kHz linear PCM, single-channel)
// The incoming microphone audio frames will then be forwarded to the Picovoice Worker
// n.b. This promise will reject if the user refuses permission! Make sure you handle that possibility.
const webVp = await WebVoiceProcessor.init({
engines: [picovoiceWorker],
start: true,
});
}
startPicovoice()
...
// Finished with Picovoice? Release the WebVoiceProcessor and the worker.
if (done) {
webVp.release()
picovoiceWorker.sendMessage({command: "release"})
}
Angular
yarn add @picovoice/picovoice-web-angular @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker
(or)
npm install @picovoice/picovoice-web-angular @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker
import { Subscription } from "rxjs"
import { PicovoiceService } from "@picovoice/picovoice-web-angular"
...
constructor(private picovoiceService: PicovoiceService) {
// Subscribe to Picovoice Keyword detections
// Store each detection so we can display it in an HTML list
this.keywordDetection = picovoiceService.keyword$.subscribe(
keywordLabel => this.detections = [...this.detections, keywordLabel])
// Subscribe to Rhino Inference events
// Show the latest one in the widget
this.inferenceDetection = picovoiceService.inference$.subscribe(
inference => this.latestInference = inference)
}
async ngOnInit() {
// Load Picovoice worker chunk with specific language model (large ~4-6MB chunk; dynamically imported)
const pvFactoryEn = (await import('@picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker')).PicovoiceWorkerFactory
// Initialize Picovoice Service
try {
await this.picovoiceService.init(pvFactoryEn,
{
// Built-in wake word
porcupineKeyword: {builtin: "Hey Google", sensitivity: 0.6},
// Rhino context (Base64 representation of a `.rhn` file)
rhinoContext: { base64: RHINO_CONTEXT_BASE64 },
start: true
})
}
catch (error) {
console.error(error)
}
}
ngOnDestroy() {
this.keywordDetection.unsubscribe()
this.inferenceDetection.unsubscribe()
this.picovoiceService.release()
}
React
yarn add @picovoice/picovoice-web-react @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker
(or)
npm install @picovoice/picovoice-web-react @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { PicovoiceWorkerFactory } from '@picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker';
import { usePicovoice } from '@picovoice/picovoice-web-react';
const RHINO_CONTEXT_BASE64 = /* Base64 representation of English-language `.rhn` file, omitted for brevity */
export default function VoiceWidget() {
const [keywordDetections, setKeywordDetections] = useState([]);
const [inference, setInference] = useState(null);
const inferenceEventHandler = (rhinoInference) => {
console.log(rhinoInference);
setInference(rhinoInference);
};
const keywordEventHandler = (porcupineKeywordLabel) => {
console.log(porcupineKeywordLabel);
setKeywordDetections((x) => [...x, porcupineKeywordLabel]);
};
const {
isLoaded,
isListening,
isError,
errorMessage,
start,
resume,
pause,
engine,
} = usePicovoice(
PicovoiceWorkerFactory,
{
// "Picovoice" is one of the builtin wake words, so we merely need to ask for it by name.
// To use a custom wake word, you supply the `.ppn` files in base64 and provide a label for it.
porcupineKeyword: "Picovoice",
rhinoContext: { base64: RHINO_CONTEXT_BASE64 },
start: true,
},
keywordEventHandler,
inferenceEventHandler
);
return (
<div className="voice-widget">
<h3>Engine: {engine}</h3>
<h3>Keyword Detections:</h3>
{keywordDetections.length > 0 && (
<ul>
{keywordDetections.map((label, index) => (
<li key={index}>{label}</li>
))}
</ul>
)}
<h3>Latest Inference:</h3>
{JSON.stringify(inference)}
</div>
)
Vue
yarn add @picovoice/picovoice-web-vue @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker
(or)
npm install @picovoice/picovoice-web-vue @picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker
<template>
<div class="voice-widget">
<Picovoice
v-bind:picovoiceFactoryArgs="{ start: true, porcupineKeyword:
'Picovoice', rhinoContext: { base64: '... Base64 representation of a .rhn file ...'}"
v-bind:picovoiceFactory="factory"
v-on:pv-init="pvInitFn"
v-on:pv-ready="pvReadyFn"
v-on:ppn-keyword="pvKeywordFn"
v-on:rhn-inference="pvInferenceFn"
v-on:pv-error="pvErrorFn"
/>
<h3>Keyword Detections:</h3>
<ul v-if="detections.length > 0">
<li v-for="(item, index) in detections" :key="index">{{ item }}</li>
</ul>
</div>
</template>
<script>
import Picovoice from "@picovoice/picovoice-web-vue";
import { PicovoiceWorkerFactoryEn } from "@picovoice/picovoice-web-en-worker";
export default {
name: "VoiceWidget",
components: {
Picovoice,
},
data: function() {
return {
detections: [],
isError: null,
isLoaded: false,
factory: PicovoiceWorkerFactoryEn,
};
},
methods: {
pvInitFn: function () {
this.isError = false;
},
pvReadyFn: function () {
this.isLoaded = true;
this.isListening = true;
this.engine = 'ppn'
},
pvKeywordFn: function (keyword) {
this.detections = [...this.detections, keyword];
this.engine = 'rhn'
},
pvInferenceFn: function (inference) {
this.inference = inference;
this.engine = 'ppn'
},
pvErrorFn: function (error) {
this.isError = true;
this.errorMessage = error.toString();
},
},
};
</script>
Microcontroller
Picovoice is implemented in ANSI C and therefore can be directly linked to embedded C projects. Its public header file contains relevant information. An instance of the Picovoice object can be constructed as follows:
#define MEMORY_BUFFER_SIZE ...
static uint8_t memory_buffer[MEMORY_BUFFER_SIZE] __attribute__((aligned(16)));
static const uint8_t *keyword_array = ...
const float porcupine_sensitivity = 0.5f
static void wake_word_callback(void) {
// logic to execute upon detection of wake word
}
static const uint8_t *context_array = ...
const float rhino_sensitivity = 0.75f
static void inference_callback(pv_inference_t *inference) {
// `inference` exposes three immutable properties:
// (1) `IsUnderstood`
// (2) `Intent`
// (3) `Slots`
// ..
pv_inference_delete(inference);
}
pv_picovoice_t *handle = NULL;
const pv_status_t status = pv_picovoice_init(
MEMORY_BUFFER_SIZE,
memory_buffer,
sizeof(keyword_array),
keyword_array,
porcupine_sensitivity,
wake_word_callback,
sizeof(context_array),
context_array,
rhino_sensitivity,
inference_callback,
&handle);
if (status != PV_STATUS_SUCCESS) {
// error handling logic
}
Sensitivity is the parameter that enables developers to trade miss rate for false alarm. It is a floating-point number
within [0, 1]. A higher sensitivity reduces miss rate (false reject rate) at cost of increased false alarm rate.
handle is an instance of Picovoice runtime engine that detects utterances of wake phrase defined in keyword_array. Upon detection of wake word it starts inferring user's intent from the follow-on voice command within the context defined in context_array. wake_word_callback is invoked upon the detection of wake phrase and inference_callback is invoked upon completion of follow-on voice command inference.
Picovoice accepts single channel, 16-bit PCM audio. The sample rate can be retrieved using pv_sample_rate(). Finally, Picovoice accepts input audio in consecutive chunks
(aka frames) the length of each frame can be retrieved using pv_porcupine_frame_length().
extern const int16_t *get_next_audio_frame(void);
while (true) {
const int16_t *pcm = get_next_audio_frame();
const pv_status_t status = pv_picovoice_process(handle, pcm);
if (status != PV_STATUS_SUCCESS) {
// error handling logic
}
}
Finally, when done be sure to release the acquired resources.
pv_picovoice_delete(handle);
