Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Listen2Future (Acoustic sensor solutions integrated with digital technologies as key enablers for emerging applications fostering society 5.0)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-02-01 do 2025-01-31
Listen2Future aims to revolutionize the field of piezoelectric acoustic transducers, enabling innovative solutions in the key application areas Health & Wellbeing and Digital Industry & Energy. By addressing the challenges of emerging applications, the project seeks to contribute to a more digitalized society.
The project has 3 main objectives:
O1: Create a new generation of MEMS transducer with increased performance for acoustic applications. Generate a strong IP portfolio to foster European leadership and excellence in international competition.
O2: Provide dedicated hardware accelerators/processors and AI powered algorithms for real-time, integrated signal processing. Enable best-in-class, intelligent and low-power acoustic systems.
O3: Demonstrate innovation potential, usability, and versatility of the new acoustic system solutions in existing and emerging applications in Health & Wellbeing and Digital Industry & Energy key applications areas. rephrase
The Listen2Future project is expected to have a significant impact on various aspects, including:
- Improving the quality of life for humans through innovative acoustic applications.
- Enhancing the performance and efficiency of industrial and medical appliances.
- Strengthening the European position in acoustic sensors by developing new piezoelectric materials and technologies.
- Contributing to the reinforcement of the Union's strategic economy in electronic components and systems.
In addition, the project addresses the high demand for reliable and secure data in the European Union's transition towards a digital and greener society. By developing integral acoustic sensor solutions, the project aims to map acoustic senses and perceptions into Society 5.0.
The project outcomes will be demonstrated in 14 use cases, focusing on low power consumption, small size, and low cost. These demonstrators will open the door for disruptive acoustic applications, leading to a significant impact on various industries and aspects of life.
The project has 3 main objectives:
O1: Create a new generation of MEMS transducer with increased performance for acoustic applications. Generate a strong IP portfolio to foster European leadership and excellence in international competition.
O2: Provide dedicated hardware accelerators/processors and AI powered algorithms for real-time, integrated signal processing. Enable best-in-class, intelligent and low-power acoustic systems.
O3: Demonstrate innovation potential, usability, and versatility of the new acoustic system solutions in existing and emerging applications in Health & Wellbeing and Digital Industry & Energy key applications areas. rephrase
The Listen2Future project is expected to have a significant impact on various aspects, including:
- Improving the quality of life for humans through innovative acoustic applications.
- Enhancing the performance and efficiency of industrial and medical appliances.
- Strengthening the European position in acoustic sensors by developing new piezoelectric materials and technologies.
- Contributing to the reinforcement of the Union's strategic economy in electronic components and systems.
In addition, the project addresses the high demand for reliable and secure data in the European Union's transition towards a digital and greener society. By developing integral acoustic sensor solutions, the project aims to map acoustic senses and perceptions into Society 5.0.
The project outcomes will be demonstrated in 14 use cases, focusing on low power consumption, small size, and low cost. These demonstrators will open the door for disruptive acoustic applications, leading to a significant impact on various industries and aspects of life.
Main achievements towards Obj 1:
- Modelling Platform Development
- System-Level Modelling Platform Refining
- Microfabrication Process Refining
- Fabrication and Process Flow Optimization
The project is progressing steadily towards its objectives, with most partners having started the design and tape-out for the Generation 2 (G2) design. Further results will be available after the completion of the preparation and testing of the G2 chips.
Main achievements towards Obj 2:
- Completion of the design and fabrication of a bi-directional analogue ASIC for air-coupled MEMS transducers, showcasing its applicability to both audio and ultrasound use-cases.
- Completion of the design and fabrication of a 3-channel driver ASIC for liquid-coupled MEMS transducers, demonstrating the scalability of the chosen concept.
- Set up of a discrete analogue force feedback concept in a laboratory setting, gaining valuable insights that led to the choice of a digital feedback system for IC implementation.
- Successful integration of MEMS microphones into the RISC-V platform, enabling the transfer of use-cases.
Main achievements towards Obj 3:
Each use case can claim achievements and advancements that were presented in the Deliverables D6.1 for the Health & Wellbeing use cases and D6.2 for the industrial applications.
- Modelling Platform Development
- System-Level Modelling Platform Refining
- Microfabrication Process Refining
- Fabrication and Process Flow Optimization
The project is progressing steadily towards its objectives, with most partners having started the design and tape-out for the Generation 2 (G2) design. Further results will be available after the completion of the preparation and testing of the G2 chips.
Main achievements towards Obj 2:
- Completion of the design and fabrication of a bi-directional analogue ASIC for air-coupled MEMS transducers, showcasing its applicability to both audio and ultrasound use-cases.
- Completion of the design and fabrication of a 3-channel driver ASIC for liquid-coupled MEMS transducers, demonstrating the scalability of the chosen concept.
- Set up of a discrete analogue force feedback concept in a laboratory setting, gaining valuable insights that led to the choice of a digital feedback system for IC implementation.
- Successful integration of MEMS microphones into the RISC-V platform, enabling the transfer of use-cases.
Main achievements towards Obj 3:
Each use case can claim achievements and advancements that were presented in the Deliverables D6.1 for the Health & Wellbeing use cases and D6.2 for the industrial applications.
Listen2Future will create an impact through its complete value chain from the material, transducers design, simulation, modelling, manufacturing to the intelligent signal processing system, algorithms and customized packaging to the application level impact through the use cases demonstrators.
Some of the most important pathways to the impact:
- The sensor demonstrators of Listen2Future with their benchmark in low power consumption, small size and low cost will open the door for disruptive new acoustic applications. Major impact on quality of life for humans through utilisation in the area of industrial/energy and health & wellbeing is expected.
- The European position in Acoustic Sensors will be strengthened by new piezoelectric materials and technologies with the capability to outperform the existing ones based on capacitive MEMS technologies. This will impact all battery powered applications using acoustic sensors (e.g. hearing aids) resulting in a longer runtime of batteries.
- The flexible and large area PMUTs present a completely new device class and will allow completely new possibilities for applications as for example implementation of ultrasound patches for continuous ultrasound monitoring of heart operation.
- The project will demonstrate capabilities and versatility of different new Piezo MEMS sensors (double frequency transducers; transducers arrays; 3D printed transducers and others) with outstanding performance regarding efficiency, size and cost including the entire further Signal-processing chain with supporting electronics.
- The results of the medical use cases of Listen2Future will create a pathway toward first of a kind products and new versions of existing products significantly smaller, lightweight, high performing and more efficient. Therefore, it addresses key health challenges at the level of the individual, i.e. directly impacting patients, patient outcomes and patient comfort. It provides hospitals and clinician better tools for decision making and implementing more efficient workflows.
- On society as a whole the Listen2Future use cases provide a path towards more personalized and home-centered healthcare causing a paradigm shift from localized care towards distributed care. Example are point-of-care devices like ultrasound probes for detecting of diseases through serous liquid analysis with help of advanced AI based algorithms that makes utilisation possible also outside of medical facilities and for the wider circle of medical staff.
- New generation of hearing aids and probes based on Listen2Future microphones, which shall be more robust and cheaper that the current technology, directly addresses growing number of elderly people needing a reliable hearing aids to be able to maintain high quality social contacts.
- The results of the industrial and energy related use cases of Listen2Future will open new possibilities regarding continuous monitoring and material analysis will lead to the next level of predictive maintenance for industrial and energy systems. Significant advance in production quality control will be achieved by solutions that allows cheap and efficient non-destructive, on-line testing of all products. New sensors will open new possibilities in environmental perception applicable to automated industrial manufacturing.
- Finally, very relevant to the ongoing gas crisis, a novel gas flow sensor will enable optimised industrial and domestic gas use. The outcome will be higher uptimes in more reliable systems resulting in global competitive production cost, thus impacting production in Europe.
Some of the most important pathways to the impact:
- The sensor demonstrators of Listen2Future with their benchmark in low power consumption, small size and low cost will open the door for disruptive new acoustic applications. Major impact on quality of life for humans through utilisation in the area of industrial/energy and health & wellbeing is expected.
- The European position in Acoustic Sensors will be strengthened by new piezoelectric materials and technologies with the capability to outperform the existing ones based on capacitive MEMS technologies. This will impact all battery powered applications using acoustic sensors (e.g. hearing aids) resulting in a longer runtime of batteries.
- The flexible and large area PMUTs present a completely new device class and will allow completely new possibilities for applications as for example implementation of ultrasound patches for continuous ultrasound monitoring of heart operation.
- The project will demonstrate capabilities and versatility of different new Piezo MEMS sensors (double frequency transducers; transducers arrays; 3D printed transducers and others) with outstanding performance regarding efficiency, size and cost including the entire further Signal-processing chain with supporting electronics.
- The results of the medical use cases of Listen2Future will create a pathway toward first of a kind products and new versions of existing products significantly smaller, lightweight, high performing and more efficient. Therefore, it addresses key health challenges at the level of the individual, i.e. directly impacting patients, patient outcomes and patient comfort. It provides hospitals and clinician better tools for decision making and implementing more efficient workflows.
- On society as a whole the Listen2Future use cases provide a path towards more personalized and home-centered healthcare causing a paradigm shift from localized care towards distributed care. Example are point-of-care devices like ultrasound probes for detecting of diseases through serous liquid analysis with help of advanced AI based algorithms that makes utilisation possible also outside of medical facilities and for the wider circle of medical staff.
- New generation of hearing aids and probes based on Listen2Future microphones, which shall be more robust and cheaper that the current technology, directly addresses growing number of elderly people needing a reliable hearing aids to be able to maintain high quality social contacts.
- The results of the industrial and energy related use cases of Listen2Future will open new possibilities regarding continuous monitoring and material analysis will lead to the next level of predictive maintenance for industrial and energy systems. Significant advance in production quality control will be achieved by solutions that allows cheap and efficient non-destructive, on-line testing of all products. New sensors will open new possibilities in environmental perception applicable to automated industrial manufacturing.
- Finally, very relevant to the ongoing gas crisis, a novel gas flow sensor will enable optimised industrial and domestic gas use. The outcome will be higher uptimes in more reliable systems resulting in global competitive production cost, thus impacting production in Europe.