Today, software-based sound personalization pioneer Mimi Hearing Technologies and its partner beyerdynamic were for the second time in a row honored with the CES Innovation Awards with its personalized sound technology. After the Aventho wireless 2018, the Consumer Electronics Show now honors the new LAGOON ANC. The award highlights Mimi’s prediction of the future of consumer audio devices – that in a few years, personalized sound will be the standard. The ear is becoming tech’s next interface and personalized sound, the key differentiator for any audio device.
The emergence of zero-touch: interaction via every ear
Personal voice assistant has emerged as the biggest interface revolution since the iPhone popularized the touchscreen. We’re now experiencing a “voice-first” hardware upheaval, with tens of millions of smart speakers and wearables entering our lives. With this, our primary sense of interaction with the intelligent world will increasingly move from sight — to sound. Much like the way prescription glasses have long since become a lifestyle, audio tailored to how we hear will become the norm for every listener. With the explosive growth of voice assistant use growing by 1000% and reaching 275 million by 2023, voice commands and hearing will become the dominating interface for human-device interaction. In December 2018, Gartner predicted two billion devices with zero-touch UIs by 2020. Evidently, sound interaction with technology is becoming more constant, immersive and interactive. All users want to enjoy every moment of whatever they are listening to, making personalized sound more relevant than ever before.
“Dolby is enabling the best one-to-many sounds, Mimi creates the ultimate one-to-one sound and finally closes the gap of the last inch of the hearing experience. This is the next generation of the audio experience”, states Andreas Spechtler, Chief Commercial Officer at Mimi and former President of Dolby International.
Sound personalization at the forefront of audio innovation
Despite recent advancements in sound quality, all audio is the same for everyone. Even the highest quality audio falls short because today’s audio isn’t optimized for a user’s hearing ability, missing out on its full potential. The team at Mimi Hearing Technologies and its personalized sound solution Mimi Defined™, is pioneering hearing software delivering audio clarity and safe listening, personalized to a user’s unique hearing ability. With the help of a biologically inspired algorithm and over one million hearing tests, Mimi’s help users hear every detail of their sound. Mimi Defined™ has been integrated into everything from award-winning headphones and in-flight entertainment, to Loewe, the world’s first television with personalized sound. Successful companies have adapted to the change. However some companies stuck with the status quo, and now lack the much needed innovative features to secure themselves a strong foothold for the future.
“The future is ear, voice interfaces are taking over and consumers are becoming more health oriented. Mimi’s sound personalization is riding this mega trend and helps consumer electronic companies to be at the forefront of innovation”, says Philipp Skribanowitz, Co-founder and CEO of Mimi Hearing technologies.
Visitors of CES can experience the world of Mimi at the Venetian Hotel or try out the new LAGOON ANC and other highlights from beyerdynamic at booth 20654 in South Hall 1 and at ShowStoppers, January 8th.
