Project description
Hearing the signal in the noise: compact and affordable microphones for consumer electronics
The cameras that capture images have evolved tremendously in the past decades – the average cell phone owner can now take razor-sharp photos in a variety of conditions. However, capturing voice signals in complex acoustic environments remains a challenge, particularly at a price point that consumers can afford or will accept. The SME sensiBel in Norway has developed patented microphones with far greater range than anything available today, and they are cheaper and smaller as well, opening the door to high-quality microphone arrays for compact consumer devices. The EU-funded OptiMEMS project is helping the team develop their business and commercialisation plan to support the growing market for natural language voice-controlled user interfaces.
Objective
Natural language voice-controlled user interfaces are evolving fast. The automatic speech recognition systems from e.g. Microsoft and Google already perform as well as humans – assuming that the voice signals can be captured perfectly. Speech capture, especially in complex acoustic environments is the limiting factor in speech recognition. There is a growing need for miniature size, affordable and “human-grade” performance microphones. sensiBel has developed a new, patented microphone technology, that is capable of registering sound waves far beyond the range that microphones in this price class can do today. Our microphones are significantly cheaper and smaller than existing microphones with equivalent performance [i.e. studio microphones], which makes it possible to include high-performance microphone arrays also in e.g. small consumer devices. This opens a multi-billion market opportunity for sensiBel, as the total MEMS microphone market is expected to reach 8 billion units in 2022.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
0349 Oslo
Norway
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.