ProKNX Enabling Privacy Through Their AI-based
Voice Control Device For Home Automation

Introduction
Digital or voice assistants have found their way into the livesof people for everyday activity. Multiple recent market studies
continue to show that the activities of consumers are concerned
about sharing their daily life in return for the services of a voiceassistant. As technology advances and machine learning (ML)techniques evolve to run on smaller, devices the door opens forcloud free solutions where privacy is the primary concern.
Situated in the South of France, a dynamic IoT start-up called ProKNX is disrupting the statusquo. In 2017 the two founders, used their own funds and years of R&D to launch realKNXAragon, the first voice-controlled smart home assistant that works completely on-device, andhas no requirement for the cloud, or even an internet connection to function.
The assistant, available in English, German, or French, is wired into a new or existing KNXHome Automation system. The first Aragon prototype enabled users to control lights, blinds,and heating by using natural voice commands. Further developments of the technology haveenabled users to integrate Aragon to control Sonos speakers and smart televisions.
The assistant is powered via both Arm technologies and Sonos (formerly Snips), an AI voice
platform for connected devices that provides private-by-design voice technology. Sonos(formerly Snips) facilitates the voice control by using ML to understand and comply withcommands said in a thousand different ways. As a result, the end-user needs almost nolearning period to use the device successfully.

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From this ambitious idea to put the interests of the user first, ProKNX has gone on to also
develop high-quality, off-line smart home devices for hotels and offices. To make realKNX
Aragon more adaptable, ProKNX has expanded the gateways supported from their
proServ-KNX gateway, to also include the GIRA X1/HS, JUNG SVS and the IKEA Trådfrigateway. These gateways are plug and play and require no interaction from the user.
The integration of the IKEA gateway allows an easy retrofit solution in any building.
Their innovative technology won awards in Germany from the prestigious Smarthome
Deutschland conference for one of the best new smart-home products on the market in2020 and 2021.

Fig.1 The Aragon PoE is flush-mounted
and fits into a standard switch-box, it ispowered over PoE.

Fig. 2 The latest version, Aragon WL, is thetable-top model, it uses Wi-Fi and cableconnection and is powered by a USB charger.
Aragon for hotels
ProKNX has launched Aragon for hoteliers who wish to develop a unique and memorable
experience for their guests. Clients can ask for room service, order cleaning, and control
media devices with their voice alone. The vocabulary integrated into Aragon is the mostcomplex on the market, making voice control easy to use for all guests. The technology
behind Aragon guarantees the privacy of the customers, therefore helps to build a
relationship of trust between guests and their hotel. Aragon includes a graphical rapid
development environment for automation and integration, so the cost of installation iskept to a minimum.
Aragon for Aging-in-place (AAL)
The percentage of elderly in the general population is predicted to steadily augment in
the near future. As the world edges toward a population skewed more heavily to thosein their advanced years, home automation will become an essential factor in facilitating
the well-being of society. With this rapidly increasing market segment in mind, ProKNX
has created Aragon for aging-in-place to allow the elderly to remain independent in theirhomes for a longer period of time.
Aragon can be a life-changing technology that is easily adopted by seniors. The device
allows people to gain back their independence and improve their quality of life, thus
decreasing the strain on all facets of the community, from relatives and healthcare
workers, to care-homes and social services. With the aid of a voice-controlled home help
system, everyday tasks become easier and require far less effort.
Aragon has also been developed to trigger a cry for help when the phrase “I need help” isvocalised by the user. A nominated person outside the home can then be contacted on
their mobile phone as soon as an unusual event occurs.

2Why Arm?
ML Application

High-Level Neural Network
Frameworks(TensorFlow, Caffe, TensorFlow Lite, ONNX)

Using a quad core Cortex-A7 based chip was necessary to balance the need for low cost,adequate performance while maintaining a low power envelope as fans are out of thequestion for both designs for ambient noise and reliability reasons. The choice of theCortex-A7 also opens the door for using the Linux distribution of choice and all the highquality ML middleware and tools that are easily available on the market from the Cortex-A
ecosystem of partners and directly from Arm.

Summary
Arm believes that sparking the world’s potential is about more than just bringing ideas
to life—it’s about inspiring our partners, engineers, and developers to push the boundaries
of what’s possible wherever computing happens. From its initial desire to protect privacy,
ProKNX has turned its ideals into reality. Consumers can now use a smart home voiceassistant in their daily life without giving up their privacy. What’s said at home, stays athome. Welcome to the future of voice assistants, where surrendering your privacy is not
an obligation.

Arm NN SDK

Compute LibraryMore Information
https://proknx.com/en/home/

Cortex-ACPUs

EthosNPUsMaliGPUs

ProKNX is a widely known French company in the KNX Home Automation sector. They are
extremely innovative and constantly striving to come up with better solutions to meet thehigh expectations of their customers.

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