Auricle was the subject of an article originally published on The Audio Voice newsletter, in November 2021. Titled, "Natural Hearing and Augmentation. A New Approach to Open-Ear" and available since on the audioXpress website, the article details the unique vision for a product that seemed to have cracked the code of headphone isolation and hearing augmentation in an open-ear form factor.
The company, founded by Pedro Costa in Copenhagen, Denmark, was optimistic following the early proof-of-concept demonstrations and the successful funding achieved on Indiegogo. Auricle had perfected a new design that leveraged cartilage conduction technology in a wireless design that holds to the tragus, one of the most sensitive and unique structures of the human ear, still leaving the ear canal completely open.
To achieve the design, Auricle had to explore a special haptic transducer, different from common bone conduction types, perfect the mechanical design in order to achieve a balanced placement and fitting, and fine-tune the calibration for the overall approach. The early prototypes generated enthusiasm and confidence in the early backers of the project, promising a wireless platform with great potential for hearing augmentation, and "a novel personal audio design that combines awareness, communication, hearing, and fun," as it was described then.
All reasons for the company's founder, Pedro Costa, an acoustics engineer with previous experience working in the Danish hearing-aid industry, himself suffering from partial hearing loss, to push forward with determination to move to volume production and quickly fulfill the crowdfunding shipments. What Pedro Costa could not anticipate was a combination of industry reality (the selected unique transducer was discontinued by its manufacturer) and the effects of a global pandemic that completely disrupted markets and supply chains.
After multiple attempts to find a manufacturing solution closer to home, Pedro Costa decided to push forward, gathered new investment, and resumed the research from scratch with a new haptic driver that suited the project's unique requirements. And to keep those efforts effective, Auricle invested in machinery to be able to quickly create prototypes and assemble small-volume production circuits in-house. This approach finally delivered the intended results, seamlessly blending crystal-clear audio, haptic bass vibrations, and open-ear awareness, as originally intended and improving upon the original prototypes.
The result of these efforts is now called awareONE, scheduled to be showcased at CES 2025 and to ship in Q1 2025. "This is more than just a product launch; it’s a new frontier in how we experience sound. For the first time, CES attendees will have the opportunity to experience awareONE firsthand," says Pedro Costa.
Inspired by Denmark's active lifestyle, with its many dedicated bicycle paths and lanes, awareONE leaves the ear canal completely open, perfect to navigate busy streets, enhancing situational awareness while the user enjoys a playlist or a podcast. With the two earplugs connected by a wire, it's also a design intended for being on the move and working out. "At Auricle, we strive to provide high-quality sound products that keep you in the moment," adds Pedro Costa. "As someone who grew up with partial hearing loss and a deep love for music, I wanted to create a product that not only allows you to hear music but also feel it."
Auricle has meanwhile received additional backing from American OG audio entrepreneurs/investors Mead Killion, Founder of Etymotic Research, and Joe Duarte, co-CEO of Innocaption, an entrepreneur also with a lifelong history of hearing loss. And this will help Auricle move forward with a second-generation design, which has also been under planning.
During CES 2025, Auricle can be found in the Eureka Park at The Venetian Expo, Booth 62258. There, Pedro Costa will showcase how the awareONE transforms sound into a fully immersive experience.
www.auricle.io
