Founded in 2015, Orosound originally applied its own Tilde Voice First, a patented communication technology based on noise-canceling, in its own range of premium office headsets and headphones manufactured in France. Along with its range of professional headphones, the company developed breakthrough AI ANC technologies that are available for integration by consumer brands.
Orosound Labs is a direct response by the French company to the market momentum for this type of solutions and the growing demand for personal hearing enhancement solutions or hearables. This is achieved through its Sentient platform, integrating proprietary libraries of AI-enabled audio technologies.
At CES 2024, Orosound Labs will showcase its TWS demonstrator, developed in collaboration with key industry players including Knowles, TDK Invensense, Qualcomm, and Greenwaves Technologies, at the Orosound’s Venetian Suite.
According to Qualcomm's 2023 State of Sound report, more than 8 out of 10 consumers worldwide indicate that ANC technologies will significantly influence their selection of true wireless earbuds, and 60% identify hearing personalization as a driver for their next audio product. Orosound Labs' Sentient Platform meets this growing demand for a more enriched and seamless audio experience, with edge-AI platforms introducing unprecedented possibilities for hearables. By recognizing behavior patterns, learning, and adapting sound processing, the solution has the coveted ability to extend the user's senses.
However, while the potential of AI technologies is evident, their seamless integration into hearables poses complex challenges. This involves achieving exceptionally low power and latency, necessitating proficiency in techniques like quantization, compression, pruning, and knowledge distillation to minimize the model's size, computational complexity, and memory footprint.
Drawing on its extensive expertise in manufacturing and AI-enabled audio technologies, Orosound Labs is committed to facilitating the introduction of intelligent solutions to the market with its Sentient platform. Leveraging design guidelines, a plug-and-play evaluation kit (EVK), qualified hardware, a unique audio suite, and manufacturing guidance, this comprehensive platform empowers partners to seamlessly integrate AI-enabled technologies and reliably mass-produce advanced hearables.
Sentient not only ensures a faster time-to-market, but also delivers solutions that Orosound is confident will surpass users' demands for outstanding audio experiences. "Orosound Labs represents a major leap forward in audio technology, and we are excited to introduce the Sentient platform to the industry," says Pierre Guiu, CEO at Orosound. "Our goal is to empower audio brands with the tools they need to create immersive and intelligent audio experiences that captivate users."
Orosound Labs’ AI-F2F
Face-to-Face conversation technology (F2F) stands as a cornerstone of Orosound, initially patented in 2015 at the company's foundation and continually evolving ever since. Now enriched with edge-AI capabilities, Orosound Labs' AI-F2F (Artificial Intelligence Face-to-Face) emerges as the most advanced technology in the market, poised for transfer to its partners. According to the company, the use of a neural networks-based separation engine and patented directional speech enhancement provides the best MOS result. The low-latency performance under 8ms ensures conversations are in real-time, with absolutely no mismatch between the voice heard and lip movements.
"AI-F2F addresses a critical challenge for audio industry players, achieving superior natural processing through microphone beamforming and low-latency AI denoising. This achievement is essential for the successful adoption of a feature set to revolutionize everyday conversational interactions," explains Eric Benhaim, Orosound’s CTO.
AI-F2F responds to the noteworthy emerging demand for hearing enhancement solutions for improved communication and clearer listening experiences. This extends beyond solution for the hearing impaired, since 61% of consumers admit with struggling with the ability to understand conversations in busy environments. Remarkably, over half of global consumers express the likelihood of hearing assistance influencing their choice of true wireless earbuds, with figures soaring to 80% in countries like China and India, according again to the latest Qualcomm 2023 State of Sound report. This trend suggests a potential shift towards mainstream adoption in the personal audio market, highlighting the transformative role of earbuds from mere music accessories to intelligent tools for communication.
Complementing its headphones manufacturing activity, through its advanced innovation division Orosound Labs, the company intends to expand availability of its AI-enabled audio technologies to meet this consumer demand. Its extensive R&D capabilities place it at the forefront of AI-enabled active noise cancellation and reduction technologies and the ability to pioneer the development of next-generation smart hearables.
www.orosound.com | www.orosoundlabs.com
