IQ Online catches up with Jeffrey Jacobsen, Kopin Corporation Senior Advisor and Golden-i  Program Manager to get the low-down on  the innovative Golden-i , which the company says is a ‘game changing concept in spontaneous, hands-free wireless telecom’.

Golden-i has been designed to accept not only conventional user interface methods such as touch screen, keyboard or wireless mouse, but also hands-free natural speech recognition. The device features Texas Instruments’ OMAP platform which incorporates a 600 Mhz ARM Cortex-A8.

The Golden-i concept is an innovative one - how would you explain the product?
Golden-i was designed to provide mobile users with spontaneous on-demand, hands-free access to digital information, streaming video and broadcast content.  To allow mobile users convenient hands-free command and control of their communication and computing devices (cell phones, Blackberrys, PCs, company servers, etc.), industrial equipment (handheld barcode scanners, RFID readers, PLCs, company machines and security and safety systems, etc.) and the wireless networks all around them (Bluetooth, WiFi, Cellular, Broadband or satellite)

What was the inspiration behind developing the Golden-i?
Golden-i was never intended to replace anything, only augment and improve mobile access and use of devices and systems that individuals already have access to.

A small, light weight, real-time audio and visual interface between individuals, devices, machines, wireless systems and global information, that doesn't interfere with daily activities, safe movement through industrial and social environments, a person's normal peripheral vision or hearing. 

Who is Golden-i targeted at?
Initially industrial users who require a hands-free mobile familiar PC experience.  Individuals who are involved in construction, maintenance, repairs, warehouse logistics, 3PL shipping depots, manufacturing applications where real-time monitoring of processes and fabrication equipment is required, rapid training with real-time monitoring of new employees and in numerous industrial situations where real-time individual or group health and safety can be improved by real-time external and on-board sensor monitoring be applied.

You have said it has been designed for 'mobile information snacking' - can you explain this please?
Wearing a 3 ounce Golden-i, the user will soon say something like: Desk Top Screen or Home Page, then say Open Media File, viewing several sub files listed as icons in Golden-i display ( CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg Reports, Wall Street Journal, Weather Channel, etc.), the user can say "Open Bloomberg Reports".  As fast as a WiFi, Cellular or Broadband wireless interface can be established, the Golden-i user is watching the real-time internet feed of Bloomberg Reports.

At the same time, the user could say "Open MY PC"(whether in the PC is in his briefcase, his rental car, or back on his desk in a different city), using an used wireless interface available to the Golden-i, as fast as a wireless interface can be established, the Golden-i sees his PC desktop screen and has full access and use of all applications, files and services available on his PC, just as though the user was sitting in front of his remote PC.

The Golden-i user can now with a spoken command move back and forth between the internet streaming Bloomberg Report and his PC, or split screen the two on one display screen at one time.

Golden-i allows the user to spontaneously jump on and off the internet, his cell phone, his PC and just about anything else he can wirelessly interface to, while mobile and completely "Hands-Free" !

How does Golden-i allow users to remotely control a PC?
Kopin has worked with Microsoft for nearly two years to make sure that the underlying software necessary for remote PC hibernation - wake - sleep functionality were an integral part of MS Vista and now MS Windows 7 and MS Server 2008. 

A Golden-i user can place their PC in a hibernation state, fully booted and ready to process commands, but placed in a hibernating state when not in use.  The same way a cell phone is booted-up when turned on and then goes into a hibernating state until directly accessed or the cell phone receives a call.

A PC user places their PC in a fully booted, hibernation state.  There exists either a wireless, Ethernet or conventional telephone line interface to the PC.  Golden-i uses any available PC interface and pre-determined encrypted pin number to open an interface with the hibernating PC.  The hibernating PC becomes a "black box" whether left remotely on the user’s desk or carried the user’s rental car or briefcase.  Whether Golden-i uses Bluetooth, WiFi, Cellular, or other wireless interface all communications between the Golden-i and remote PC can be fully 128 bit encrypted.

Once a  PC has been set-up to work with Golden-i and has been placed in a hibernation state, the user can open his PC real-time and place his PC back in a hibernation state at will, anywhere and time a wireless PC interface can be established.  The user simple says something like "Open My PC" and as fast as the wireless interface is established, the Golden-i user sees their PC desktop screen in his virtual 15 inch Golden-i display.  With voice recognition, Axis head tracker user gestures, any device with a Bluetooth interface and touchpad, keyboard or mouse the user may have available; the Golden-i user has complete command and control over their PC, where ever it is.

Golden-i can open and control up to 7 other PCs, devices or interfaces at one time and handles the multiple device interfaces in the same manor PC users open and manage applications on a desktop screen.

It seems like an obvious product for gamers - are you working on a concept for the games console market?
In time, many different markets and applications other than industrial will be addressed by Golden-i products optimized for those other markets and applications.  "Pro-sumers", professionals that use smart phones, Blackberrys, i-Phones and PCs daily in pursuit of their careers, will find the next generation of Golden-i incredibly convenient and efficient.  Industrial designers, architects, major construction engineers will find Golden-i's mobile hands-free ability to link to centralized servers as well as local remote PCs for 3-D graphical rendering and visualization in the field very valuable.  Especially since Golden-i can provide GSP and real-time finer positioning information for use with the graphical rendering, industrial elevation drawings and on-site 3-D visualization desired in design, development and construction.

Which operating system does the system use and why was it chosen?
Golden-i uses a Microsoft Windows CE 6.0R2 operating system. The commercial and industrial world, as well as the internet is still basically a Microsoft environment.  For general communications and computing, Microsoft is the common denominator. 

In developing Golden-i, a light weight, intelligent, wireless headset for general interface to PCs, servers, industrial handheld and ruggedized devices, factory and logistic line embedded controllers, it makes total sense to leverage the Microsoft environment .  Golden-i is all about user convenience, improved performance and access to any digital information hands-free with a spoken command.  We started out originally using a full kernel Linux OS.  Linux couldn't provide the rich application interface or ease of machine to machine interface that Golden-i required in a Microsoft intensive PC - Server environment. 

The system uses TI's OMAP platform which incorporates a 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8.  Why did you opt for the OMAP platform and how important was the ARM technology?
Golden-i uses the Texas Instruments OMAP 3530 dual processor platform, because it is the most advanced, highest performance, lowest power consumption mobile processor platform available today.  Kopin can efficiently and effectively over clock the OMAP ARM Cortex-A8  core and the TI DSP where it makes sense, with minimal power consumption or thermal dissipation affects. 

The ARM portion of the OMAP 3530 dual processor is very efficient, a proven platform and the Cortex-A8 ARM core is the forerunner of multi-core ARM processors, such as the TI OMAP 4 family expected to be in production by late 2010.  As long as TI and ARM can collaborate and produce cutting edge mobile processor solutions, build and sell the finish components to Kopin, Kopin will stay focused on the TI OMAP family which use ARM processor cores.

Golden-I uses speech recognition to provide a hands free experience. What solution have you opted to use here and why?
Kopin is a Nuance Communications strategic partner.  Golden-i uses a very advanced and highly modified Nuance VoCon3200.  Typical VoCon3200 speech recognition users rely on a push to talk button gesture for each spoken command. 

For example, Golden-i users do not want to be bothered by a button to engage speech recognition.  Golden-i is a "Hands-Free" user interface device. Golden-i users just want to wake-up Golden-i with a spoken command, give their spoken commands and requests, then either tell Golden-i to go back to sleep or let Golden-i recognize that a spoken command has not been given for a minute or two and automatically go back into hibernating state, remembering what it was last doing and it's prior interfaces. 

Golden-i required an intelligent user voice self learning capability that VoCon3200 did not incorporate, so Kopin created one.  As Golden-i use increases, so does the user 'speech performance efficiency and performance.  Golden-i prototype has demonstrated better than 95% speech recognition right out of the box, across a broad cross section of English speaking people of numerous ethnic back grounds and English speaking proficiency.

You can't beat the ability to work with the largest and most advanced speech recognition company in the world.  Nuance is a Golden-i strategic business partner.  Nuance is a constant source of inspiration, improvements and new voice related capabilities.

When can we expect to see Golden-I on the market and will it be the same as the concept product?
Kopin and Motorola have been taking orders for a Golden-i Concept & Evaluation Developers Kits since May, with delivery in September, October and November 2009 .  A series of major companies (some are already mainstream Motorola customers) who operate in almost every business market and require mobile communications & computing, all have reasons for needing Hand-Free interface with a familiar PC experience.  These companies starting in September '09 will enter into a six month in-depth Golden-i Evaluations and Field Trial.  Following the six month Golden-i field trial, customer use information and recommendations will be summarized and integrated into the first Golden-i production units. We expect the first Golden-i production units will start shipping by fourth quarter 2010.

What future developments can we expect to see from Golden-I and will you retain development around an ARM core?
Thanks to Mike Hames, Sr. VP  Application Specific Processors and Gerard Andrews, Director of Marketing at TI, Kopin received very advanced access to the OMAP 3530 processor platform and direct TI support in April 2008.  TI's level of follow-on support and the response Golden-i has received from TI has been excellent.  TI has provided leading edge technology, excellent products and superb customer support.  With Golden-i early access to TI's OMAP 4 platform and TI's excellent support, Kopin plan's to expand the Golden-i product family around the OMAP processor family, starting with an incredible new ARM multi-core processor in the TI OMAP 4.