Project description
Bridging the human ear gap with new microphone technology
In our digital age, microphones are ubiquitous, yet they fall short of mimicking the sensitivity and range of the human ear. Despite advancements, no microphone matches the human ear’s ability to perceive sound below 0 dB SPL, sense up to 130 dB SPL and capture a bandwidth of 20 kHz. In this context, the EIC-funded PIONEAR project aims to revolutionise microphone technology with a miniature device surpassing human ear sound quality. The microphone will use a novel sensing technique called chromometry, integrating electronic, micro-mechanical and photonic technologies. PIONEAR anticipates profound impacts across various sectors. From consumer electronics to autonomous vehicles, this innovation promises programmable directivity and unprecedented selectivity, akin to human hearing.
Objective
Microphones play an increasingly important role in how we communicate and perceive the world in our ever more digital and virtual lives. They have developed tremendously in the past decades in terms of size and cost and are now ubiquitous in consumer electronics as well as in professional and industrial applications. Yet, despite all this progress, microphone technology falls short of perceiving audio as well as the human ear: No microphone has self-noise 0 dB SPL (defined as the threshold of human hearing), the capability to sense sounds up to 130 dB SPL, and with a bandwidth of 20 kHz.
The main objective of PIONEAR is to create the proof-of-concept of a novel miniature microphone with better-than-human-ear sound quality. It will be enabled by a radically new chromometric sensing solution, that PIONEAR will develop by integrating electronic, micro-mechanic and photonic technologies.
To realise this new sensing technology PIONEAR brings together a unique consortium of 4 research partners and 3 SMEs from across Europe, all of which are leading experts in their field, e.g. in manufacturing the special vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL), fabricating the miniature acoustic chamber and membrane and assembling and packaging of the whole device with the highest precision.
We expect PIONEAR to have a profound impact across multiple sectors: Armed with arrays of microphones that have very low noise, devices will be able to listen with programmable directivity and unprecedented selectivity, enabling products with intelligently selective, human-like, hearing. Applications range from consumer electronics and hearing aids to autonomous robots and vehicles, and environmental monitoring. Moreover, the underlying sensor concept is not limited to microphones. We expect that it will offer similar performance improvements in a broad range of sensor categories, e.g. pressure and ultrasonic sensors, biochemical sensors, gas and aerosol sensors, and accelerometers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2023-PATHFINDEROPEN-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
871 92 HARNOSAND
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.