Holosonics

“Walk in, plug in, work together”

XMOS is collaborating with Japan-based multinational corporation Sharp to create the first Windows collaboration display (WCD) by Sharp – the next generation interactive smart touch screen designed to improve teamwork by enhancing communication through easy video conferencing and remote collaboration.

Manufactured by Foxconn, the 70” 4K interactive display combines XMOS far-field voice-capture technology, Microsoft WCD specifications and Sharp’s award-winning touch technology to transform the way people collaborate together across enterprise applications.

When video conferencing, XMOS’ far-field microphones can identify participants’ voices from up to 4 meters away, accurately capturing the sound and removing all additional noise.

Located top-centre of the display, our XVF3500 stereo-AEC voice processor delivers up-close voice capture quality and processing accuracy at far-field range, simplifying the complicated business of cleaning up sound in a noisy space during a conference call.

XMOS VocalFusion XVF3500 voice-capture technology:

• Stereo acoustic echo cancellation: removes acoustic feedback between the display’s speakers and microphones to accurately capture voice commands.
• Beamforming:identifies the direction the voice command comes from, even if moving.
• Dereverberation:removes the echoes from the user’s voice as it ‘bounces’ off the hard surfaces in the room.
• Noise suppression:removes exterior noises, e.g. air conditioning, people talking, pets etc.
• Barge-in:enables users to interrupt when audio is being played through the device (or another source), with a voice command spoken at normal volume from across the room.

Mark Lippett, CEO of XMOS said: “This display brings together all the necessary tools into one place for a truly collaborative solution. We’re delighted to help bring this incredible new Windows Collaboration Display by Sharp to life and are proud that our voice-capture technology is playing a big part in helping people communicate effectively.”

About XMOS

XMOS is a leading supplier of voice and audio solutions to the consumer electronics market. Unique silicon architecture and highly differentiated software positions XMOS at the interface between voice processing, biometrics and artificial intelligence. For more information, please email press@xmos.com.

Introducing the truly “personal” personal assistant device enabled by Audio Spotlight® directional sound technology.

Holosonics is pleased to announce it has partnered with XMOS to produce a concept design for the world’s first voice-activated personal assistant device that listens to where you are – and then speaks only to you. By combining XMOS highly directional, VocalSorcery microphone hardware with Holosonics’ patented Audio Spotlight directional speaker technology, the concept for the first and only truly “personal” personal assistant has emerged.

Unlike standard devices, where the personal assistant announces the answer to the room, this technology lets the personal assistant pinpoint the exact direction of an audio reply within a given space – it directs the answer at the person who asked the question in a narrow laser-like beam of sound, so the user gets high-quality, precisely controlled sound with none of the noise.^TM

“The Holosonics team is thrilled about the partnership we forged with XMOS to bring together XMOS spatial audio capture expertise with Audio Spotlight® directional sound to create what we believe is the next level in personal assistant device technology,” said Holosonics Founder and CEO Dr. F. Joseph Pompei. “By incorporating the option of focused sound into the existing available features of a personal assistant, we find ourselves in the very exciting position of creating the next chapter in the evolution of assistive voice-activated devices.”

Mark Lippett, XMOS CEO commented: “This is a hugely exciting collaboration. Holosonics’ technology could transform the way we interact with personal assistants in future. They’ve created a more private experience, which is immediately compelling and opens up a new world of possibilities.”

Dr. Pompei and his team will demo the world’s first truly “personal” personal assistant at the XMOS suite during the Consumer Technology Association’s CES 2019 conference in Las Vegas on January 8-11, 2019.

To learn more about Holosonics’ appearance at CES 2019, please visit Holosonics.com/ces

About Holosonic Research Labs

Holosonic Research Labs, Inc. is a pioneer in directional acoustics, develops and manufactures the Audio Spotlight® directional sound system. Founded by MIT graduate Dr. F. Joseph Pompei, Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight® technology is used in a wide variety of applications including museums, libraries, offices, reception areas, retail displays, trade shows, and retail kiosks. The world’s top organizations and companies use the Audio Spotlight® directional sound system to beam sound to their listeners… and preserve the quiet.^TM For more information, please email info@holosonics.com or phone +1 617-923-4000

About XMOS

XMOS is a leading supplier of voice and audio solutions to the consumer electronics market. Unique silicon architecture and highly differentiated software positions XMOS at the interface between voice processing, biometrics and artificial intelligence. For more information, please email press@xmos.com.