Virtual Assistant “Ubi” Paves the Way for Voice-only Access

October 2017 - In late 2012, Leor Grebler and a small team of engineers announced Ubi, a device that acts as a virtual assistant capable of making phone calls, sending and reading emails, and answering questions, commanded solely by the voice of the user. This voice-activated technology points towards innovations in technology accessibility for persons with disabilities. Devices such as the Ubi have the potential to allow for many of the functions of a mobile phone, such as call, email, and text while being specifically optimized for use with only speech and hearing. The user does not need to charge, see, or touch the device to be able to access its full functionality.

Now five years past the announcement, and with an expanded company from investments and financing, the Ubi team now runs UCIC (Unified Computer Intelligence Corporation), and works to bring their voice interaction expertise and software to other devices. This company represents a newly expanding industry of virtual assistant and voice interaction technologies, as evidenced by the success of Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Google Home. Now that Ubi has passed the torch of standalone virtual assistants to Echo and Google Home, UCIC works to bring voice-only, hands-free accessibility features to other devices. The UCIC continues to work with voice interaction technologies; the company now works with other computer hardware companies to improve voice accessibility features and strives towards “making interaction with technology seamless and natural.”