CES 2024 Automotive Audio (The Good News)

The Consumer Electronics Show has become a showcase of products of the future, and this year’s content was stronger than ever. The automotive sector in the West Hall was filled beyond capacity, with Mobility spilling into the North Hall. Roger Shively reports on how hardware-dependent development is shifting to software. How Artificial Intelligence has found a practical role. How it all changes car audio systems.

Expanding on previous articles about bass shakers and motion platforms, this article from Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific) looks at exciting evolutions in haptic transducers and actuators that are being used in a growing number of applications - all of which depend upon audio sources for input. The ability to interact with the world through vibration and touch is central to all of our lives, and now increasingly so. This article was originally published in audioXpress, February 2022.

Flexound Augmented Audio, the innovative haptics audio company from Finland, appointed Isak Olevic as the new CEO. Olevic, an experienced automotive and audio business executive, comes from Sweden and has a vast executive experience at Volvo, Harman International, and Ericsson. He will assume responsibilities for Flexound on January 1, 2022, succeeding Flexound co-founder Mervi Heinaro, who was recently appointed as the Deputy Mayor of the City of Espoo, Finland. Mervi remains a partner in the company as well as a member of the Advisory Board.

Flexound Augmented Audio, the company from Finland that is exploring the full combined potential of haptics and wireless audio in consumer products, is also developing multisensory solutions for cinema, gaming and therapy. After exploring the technology in commercial movie theaters, Flexound now introduced the Pulse seat that offers an affordable and captivating home cinema experience, scaling easily to large multi-seat rooms.

Futuresource Consulting has put together another edition of the company's renowned Audio Collaborative event, this year shifting to a two-day all-virtual experience on November 4-5, Wednesday and Thursday, from 2pm – 6pm GMT (9am – 1pm EST). Attendees will see first class presentations and panels from industry experts, while Futuresource experts will present on the growth and the crossover of business opportunities for the entire audio ecosystem.