It’s no secret that Amazon.com Inc. wants to put its Alexa smart assistant into pretty much anything with a computer chip in it, and today the online retail giant has taken another step toward that future by opening up the voice technology behind its Amazon Echo products.

Amazon announced today that it will make the Echo’s far-field microphone array and voice processing technology available to third-party hardware makers. The new Amazon Alexa 7-Mic Far-Field Development Kit offers the same technology that allows Echo owners to control their device from across the room, even when music is playing.

“Since the introduction of Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, device makers have been asking us to provide the technology and tools to enable a far-field Alexa experience for their products,” said Amazon Alexa Director Priya Abani. “With this new reference solution, developers can design products with the same unique 7-mic circular array, beamforming technology, and voice processing software that have made Amazon Echo so popular with customers.”

Amazon’s new program is invite-only, but original equipment manufacturers can apply for access on Amazon’s website. While OEMs will still need to source their own hardware, Amazon’s reference kit will make the process much easier, and manufacturers will save time and money since they will no longer need to develop their own microphone solutions. Amazon will also provide the code that powers their microphone technology.

Alexa represents a recent trend in consumer technology, particularly in the Internet of Things, where user interfaces are being replaced by voice controls. Alexa already supports a wide range of integrations, including smart home products such as Philips Hue, embedded vehicle systems such as Ford Sync, and Spotify and other services.

Google Home, the main rival to Amazon Echo, offers many of the same integrations, but some analysts reckon that the Amazon Echo is currently winning the smart speaker race.

Photo: Amazon