Noveto's first proof of concept product is scheduled to be available from December 2021, with the company promising further details to be announced shortly. The C1 is incorporated in the Soundbeamer speaker which was successfully promoted on Kickstarter, and will be the first commercially available solution to use the ground-breaking technology. The Soundbeamer is being promoted as a speaker that plays audio only to the user directly in front, without disturbing other people around, with applications in conferencing, gaming and general desktop use.
This proof of concept for the technology resembles a small speaker that apparently makes no sound. Instead, ultrasonic waves are sent towards the user using a built-in 3D camera to locate their position in real time, at which point the waves converge into small pockets of sound around their ears. At these energy points the ultrasonic waves emit normal acoustic waves that can be heard by the user. If the user moves its head, the sound pockets follow, not causing disruptions in the sound.
These acoustic sound waves are generated using DSP algorithms developed by Noveto, and are pushed into the air via two custom-designed panels populated by numerous miniature sized ultrasonic speakers. Individually the waves are totally silent, and with the help of a built-in 3D camera and AI-based ear-tracking algorithms, the Soundbeamer creates a "magical" immersive 3D audio experience without headphones. This allows audio playback to single users, with nearby listeners only hearing a fraction of the sound.
To handle all the different software and hardware components, and the high number of audio channels that need to be processed to generate the Noveto "magical experience," the proprietary chipset incorporates the analog multichannel D1 chip and a digital C1 smart controller. The D1 chip concurrently and dynamically controls 64 ultrasonic audio channels. The C1 controller orchestrates the overall behavior of all the ultrasonic speakers to generate the unique sound beaming experience.
According to a statement from Noveto, which is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is now led by Dr. Christophe Ramstein,(previously heading global engineering for Logitech), the development of this integrated solution is another significant milestone for the company which easily reached its Kickstarter campaign goals, and recently received a $10 million Series A investment by noted venture capitalist, Adit Ventures.
The Noveto audio technology is an outcome of years of extensive R&D protected by multiple patent families with over 45 patents (registered and pending). The company's first product is now scheduled for distribution by the end of 2021 with assistance from Noveto's strategic partner, Foxconn.
www.noveto.com
