Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for an improved method for performing sound source localization (SSL) to determine a direction of arrival of an audible sound using a combination of timing information and amplitude information. For example, a device may decompose an observed sound field into directional components, then estimate a time-delay likelihood value and an energy-based likelihood value for each of the directional components. Using a combination of these likelihood values, the device can determine the direction of arrival corresponding to a maximum likelihood value. In some examples, the device may perform Acoustic Wave Decomposition processing to determine the directional components. In order to reduce a processing consumption associated with performing AWD processing, the device splits this process into two phases: a search phase that selects a subset of a device dictionary to reduce a complexity, and a decomposition phase that solves an optimization problem using the subset of the device dictionary.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein provide a collaborative browsing experience in which real-time browsing activity and saved browsing activity of session collaborators in a collaborative browsing session are shared with the collaborators. A collaborative session may be initiated, which may create a tab group associated with the session and linked to a collaborator. Other collaborators may be invited to join the session, and additional tab groups for each collaborator may be created. The tab groups of the collaborators may be included in a collective tab group, which may be updated in real-time with changes made by any of the collaborators. For example, client changes may be handled locally and communicated to a service to which each client is connected. The service may sequence and broadcast the ordered changes to the clients, which may each implement the changes according to the sequence to synchronize a shared state amongst clients.

Abstract: A system configured to improve user localization used to determine a listening position and/or user orientation for a device map. Multiple devices may generate audio data representing user speech and the system may use the audio data to determine a first spatial likelihood function (SLF) based on angle measurements, determine a second SLF based on timing information, and determine a location of the user based on a combination of the two SLFs. The SLFs represent the environment using a grid comprising a plurality of grid cells, and each grid cell has a value indicating a likelihood that the grid cell corresponds to the location of the user. An individual device may generate a portion of the angle measurements based on multi-channel audio data generated using multiple microphones of the device, while the system may generate the timing information based on single-channel audio data received from each of the multiple devices.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for an improved method for performing sound source localization (SSL) to determine a direction of arrival of an audible sound using a combination of timing information and amplitude information. For example, a device may decompose an observed sound field into directional components, then estimate a time-delay likelihood value and an energy-based likelihood value for each of the directional components. Using a combination of these likelihood values, the device can determine the direction of arrival corresponding to a maximum likelihood value. In some examples, the device may perform Acoustic Wave Decomposition processing to determine the directional components. In order to reduce a processing consumption associated with performing AWD processing, the device splits this process into two phases: a search phase that selects a subset of a device dictionary to reduce a complexity, and a decomposition phase that solves an optimization problem using the subset of the device dictionary.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein provide a collaborative browsing experience in which real-time browsing activity and saved browsing activity of session collaborators in a collaborative browsing session are shared with the collaborators. A collaborative session may be initiated, which may create a tab group associated with the session and linked to a collaborator. Other collaborators may be invited to join the session, and additional tab groups for each collaborator may be created. The tab groups of the collaborators may be included in a collective tab group, which may be updated in real-time with changes made by any of the collaborators. For example, client changes may be handled locally and communicated to a service to which each client is connected. The service may sequence and broadcast the ordered changes to the clients, which may each implement the changes according to the sequence to synchronize a shared state amongst clients.

Abstract: System and methods for collaborative workspaces for content browsers are provided. In one embodiment, a method for a collaborative content browser comprises: obtaining a network address for a workspace management document; opening, at a browser, the workspace management document from a shared network resource based on the network address, the workspace management document recording a browser state for rendering a collaborative browser workspace in the browser; executing a browser process to generate a workspace shell for the workspace by rendering structural features of the workspace shell based on the browser state, the structural features including an user interface with a browser tab; synchronizing project resource data from the browser state to render network content from a project resource in the browser tab; and communicating an update to the browser state based on a change applied at the browser to the structural features or the project resources.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for performing ray-based acoustic modeling that models scattering of acoustic waves by a surface of a device. The acoustic modeling uses two parameters, a room response representing acoustics and geometry of a room and a device response representing acoustics and geometry of the device. The room response is determined using ray-based acoustic modeling, such as ray tracing. The device response can be measured in an actual environment or simulated and represents an acoustic response of the device to individual acoustic plane waves. The device applies a superposition of the room response and the plane wave scattering from the device response to determine acoustic pressure values and generate microphone audio data. The device can estimate room impulse response (RIR) data using data from the microphones, and can use the RIR data to perform audio processing such as sound equalization, acoustic echo cancellation, audio beamforming, and/or the like.

Abstract: Techniques for improving adaptive interference cancellation (AIC) using cascaded AIC algorithms are described. To improve an accuracy of detecting speech, a device may perform a first stage of AIC to generate isolated audio data and may generate speech mask data indicating time windows when speech is detected in the isolated audio data. Based on the speech mask data, the device may perform second AIC to generate output audio data, with adaptation of the adaptive filter enabled when the speech is not detected and disabled when the speech is detected. Thus, the first AIC improves the accuracy with which the device detects that speech is present and the second AIC reduces distortion in the output audio data by not updating filter coefficient values when the speech is present. The first AIC may use playback audio data, microphone audio data or beamformed audio data as reference signals.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for an improved method for performing Acoustic Wave Decomposition (AWD) processing that reduces a complexity and processing consumption. The improved method enables a device to perform AWD processing to decompose an observed sound field into directional components, enabling the device to perform additional processing such as sound source separation, dereverberation, sound source localization, sound field reconstruction, and/or the like. The improved method splits the solution to two phases: a search phase that selects a subset of a device dictionary to reduce a complexity, and a decomposition phase that solves an optimization problem using the subset of the device dictionary.

Abstract: A system includes a programmable assessor and a remote computer. The programmable assessor includes an assessment chamber, which includes an assessment platform and a sensor arranged to sense characteristics of a product on the assessment platform, as well as a processor coupled to the sensor and an input coupled to the processor. The remote computer includes a remote processor. The sensor is configured to sense characteristics of first and second versions of the product. The input is configured to receive a classification of the first and second versions of the product. The programmable assessor is configured to provide the sensed characteristics and classification of the first and second versions of the product to the remote processor. The remote processor is configured to generate an assessment program based on the sensed characteristics and classification of the first and second versions of the product, and to provide the generated assessment program to the programmable assessor.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein provide a collaborative browsing experience in which real-time browsing activity and saved browsing activity of session collaborators in a collaborative browsing session are shared with the collaborators. A collaborative session may be initiated, which may create a tab group associated with the session and linked to a collaborator. Other collaborators may be invited to join the session, and additional tab groups for each collaborator may be created. The tab groups of the collaborators may be included in a collective tab group, which may be updated in real-time with changes made by any of the collaborators. For example, client changes may be handled locally and communicated to a service to which each client is connected. The service may sequence and broadcast the ordered changes to the clients, which may each implement the changes according to the sequence to synchronize a shared state amongst clients.

Abstract: A device has a microphone array that acquires sound data and a camera that acquires image data. A portion of the device may be moveable by one or more actuators. Responsive to the user, the portion of the device is moved toward an estimated direction of the user. The estimated direction is based on sensor data including the sound data and the image data. First variance values for individual sound direction values are calculated. Data derived from the image data or data from other sensors may be used to modify the first variance values and determine second data comprising second variances. The second data may be processed to determine the estimated direction of the user. For example, the second data may be processed by both a forward and a backward Kalman filter, and the output combined to determine an estimated direction toward the user.

Abstract: A network service maintains a recently used resource list for a user that includes a list of references (e.g., hyperlinks) to resources (e.g., files) recently accessed by the user. An application, such as a web browser application or a web browser extension, periodically retrieves the recently used resource list for the user from the network service. When the application is utilized to display a text entry field, a user interface (“UI”) can be provided for inserting references to recently used resources identified in the recently used resource list into the text entry field. Through the UI, the user can select a resource identified in the recently used resource list using appropriate user input (e.g., selection of a resource using a mouse cursor, touch, or keyboard input). In response thereto, a reference (e.g., a hyperlink) to a selected resource can be inserted into the text entry field.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein provide a collaborative browsing experience in which real-time browsing activity and saved browsing activity of session collaborators in a collaborative browsing session are shared with the collaborators. A collaborative session may be initiated, which may create a tab group associated with the session and linked to a collaborator. Other collaborators may be invited to join the session, and additional tab groups for each collaborator may be created. The tab groups of the collaborators may be included in a collective tab group, which may be updated in real-time with changes made by any of the collaborators. For example, client changes may be handled locally and communicated to a service to which each client is connected. The service may sequence and broadcast the ordered changes to the clients, which may each implement the changes according to the sequence to synchronize a shared state amongst clients.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein provide a collaborative browsing experience in which real-time browsing activity and saved browsing activity of session collaborators in a collaborative browsing session are shared with the collaborators. A collaborative session may be initiated, which may create a tab group associated with the session and linked to a collaborator. Other collaborators may be invited to join the session, and additional tab groups for each collaborator may be created. The tab groups of the collaborators may be included in a collective tab group, which may be updated in real-time with changes made by any of the collaborators. For example, client changes may be handled locally and communicated to a service to which each client is connected. The service may sequence and broadcast the ordered changes to the clients, which may each implement the changes according to the sequence to synchronize a shared state amongst clients.

Abstract: A network service maintains a recently used resource list for a user that includes a list of references (e.g., hyperlinks) to resources (e.g., files) recently accessed by the user. An application, such as a web browser application or a web browser extension, periodically retrieves the recently used resource list for the user from the network service. When the application is utilized to display a text entry field, a user interface (“UP”) can be provided for inserting references to recently used resources identified in the recently used resource list into the text entry field. Through the UI, the user can select a resource identified in the recently used resource list using appropriate user input (e.g., selection of a resource using a mouse cursor, touch, or keyboard input). In response thereto, a reference (e.g., a hyperlink) to a selected resource can be inserted into the text entry field.

Abstract: A system that performs early reflections filtering to suppress early reflections and improve sound source localization (SSL). During music playback and/or when a device is placed in a corner, acoustic reflections from nearby surfaces get boosted due to constructive interference, negatively impacting SSL and other processing of the device. To suppress these early reflections, the device uses an Early Reflections Filter (ERF) that makes use of Linear Prediction Coding (LPC), which is already being performed during speech processing. For example, the device generates raw audio signals using multi-channel LPC coefficients and then uses single-channel LPC coefficients for each raw audio signal in order to generate a filter that estimates the reflections. The device then uses this filter to suppress the early reflections and generate filtered audio signals, thus resulting in better audio processing and better overall device performance.

Abstract: An autonomous placement device for securing an electronic device to and/or removing an electronic device from an object (such as, for example, a utility pole or a streetlight luminaire optionally forming a part thereof) includes a repository and a remove-and-place system. The repository is arranged to store at least one electronic device. The remove-and-place system is operable, in one embodiment, to retrieve an electronic device from the repository and, after the autonomous placement device has been positioned proximate an aerial placement position, secure the electronic device to the object at the aerial placement position. The autonomous placement device may further include a guidance system operable to locate the aerial placement position prior to aerial positioning. The autonomous placement device may form part of a system, which also includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a payload coupling system that mechanically couples the autonomous placement device to the UAV.

Abstract: A system that performs sound source localization (SSL) using acoustic wave decomposition (AWD) or an approximation. When a device detects a wakeword represented in audio data, the device performs SSL processing in order to determine a position of the user relative to the device (e.g., estimate angle of the user). The device calculates noise statistics based on first audio data representing the wakeword and second audio data preceding the wakeword. Thus, upon detecting the wakeword, the device calculates the noise statistics and a signal quality metric corresponding to the wakeword. In addition, the device uses Multi-Channel Linear Prediction Coding (MCLPC) coefficients to average out the room impulse response. Using the noise statistics, the MCLPC coefficients, and the audio data, the device performs AWD processing to decompose the sound field to disjoint acoustic plane waves, enabling the device to identify the most likely direction for the line-of-sight component of speech.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein provide a collaborative browsing experience in which real-time browsing activity and saved browsing activity of session collaborators in a collaborative browsing session are shared with the collaborators. A collaborative session may be initiated, which may create a tab group associated with the session and linked to a collaborator. Other collaborators may be invited to join the session, and additional tab groups for each collaborator may be created. The tab groups of the collaborators may be included in a collective tab group, which may be updated in real-time with changes made by any of the collaborators. For example, client changes may be handled locally and communicated to a service to which each client is connected. The service may sequence and broadcast the ordered changes to the clients, which may each implement the changes according to the sequence to synchronize a shared state amongst clients.