Mladá Boleslav, 25 September 2019 – ŠKODA is premiering a new Digital Assistant. The new, enhanced voice control system goes by the name of Laura and understands natural speech. Part of the range-topping Amundsen infotainment system, it is available for the new Kamiq as well as the compact Scala. The Czech car manufacturer’s introduction of the new Digital Assistant strengthens the position of its two new models as infotainment and connectivity pioneers in their respective segments.
The new ŠKODA Kamiq city SUV and the compact Scala can from now on be controlled with the help of Laura, the new ŠKODA Digital Assistant. In vehicles equipped with the top-of-the-range Amundsen infotainment system, a simple “Okay, Laura!” will activate the enhanced voice control system – there is no need to push a button or do anything else. Laura even understands natural speech, so drivers are not restricted to a set of predetermined commands or phrases.
Laura has already mastered six languages and can understand dialects
The new, enhanced and online-based voice control system can answer inquiries about a wide variety of topics and obeys commands. It will start navigation to a desired destination; find a favourite song or take dictation for an SMS. Laura supports six languages: English, German and French as well as Spanish, Italian and Czech. If required, the system can even understand different dialects. With an on-board eSIM card included as standard, the ŠKODA Kamiq and Scala are always online. This allows Laura to seamlessly combine on-board and online data and thus respond quickly to any situation. The transition between online and offline services is so seamless that occupants are never aware of it.
Flexible dialogues and natural conversation style
Drivers can interrupt their dialogue with Laura at any time and use a new command without having to wait for the system to complete an answer. This helps to speed up response times. Moreover, during a conversation, the radio or media player volume is lowered rather than muted completely, which fosters the sense of having a natural, relaxed conversation.
The features of ŠKODA’s Digital Assistant Laura are subject to continuous development, improvement and expansion. The system will be available in upcoming models. In future, Laura will be able to control certain vehicle functions and respond with more flexibility to complete sentences, even enabling a kind of digital small talk. Other potential applications of the enhanced voice control system that might become available at a later date include ŠKODA areas outside of the vehicle – such as mobile and web apps, as well as the online configurator.
