Knowles Corporation announced the availability of the Knowles AISonic™ IA8201 Raspberry Pi Development Kit to bring voice, audio edge processing, and machine learning (ML) listening capabilities to devices and systems in a range of new industries. Product designers and engineers from OEM/ODM companies have access to a single tool that can streamline design, development, and testing of technology that pushes the boundaries of voice and audio integration in their respective industries.

The kit is built around the Knowles AISonic™ IA8201 Audio Edge Processor OpenDSP, for ultra-low power and high-performance for a plethora of audio processing needs. The audio edge processor combines two Tensilica-based, audio-centric DSP cores — one for high-power compute and AI/ML applications, and the other for very low-power, always-on processing of sensor inputs. The IA8201 has 1MB of RAM on-chip for high bandwidth processing of advanced, always-on contextually aware ML use-cases and memory to support multiple algorithms for an optimal user experience.

Using the Knowles open DSP platform, the kit includes a library of onboard audio algorithms and AI/ML libraries. Farfield audio applications can be built using the available ultra-low-power voice wake, beamforming, custom keywords, and background noise elimination algorithms from Knowles algorithm partners such as Amazon Alexa, Sensory, Retune, and Alango.

The kit also features TensorFlow Lite-Micro SDK for fast prototyping and product development for AI/ML applications. The TensorFlow-Lite SDK allows for porting models developed in larger cloud Tensor Flow frameworks to an embedded platform at the edge, usually with limited compute and lower power consumption, for example, AI inference engines for anomaly detection in verticals such as industrial and commercial.

With options for either two or three pre-integrated Knowles Everest microphones based on product design needs, the kit includes two microphone array boards to help select the appropriate algorithm configurations for the end application. Knowles also offers built-in microphone arrays that support the audio and voice capabilities on the IA8201 DSP. Developer support is available through the Knowles Solutions Portal for configuration tools, firmware, and algorithms that come standard with the kit, allowing for complete prototyping, design, and debugging.

For more information, visit Knowles.