Holosonics Announces it has Partnered with XMOS to Conceptualize a Design for the World's First Personal Assistant that Beams Sound Only to You

WATERTOWN, Mass., Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Audio Spotlight by Holosonics is pleased to announce it has partnered with XMOS to conceptualize a 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 VocalSorcery microphone hardware with Holosonics' patented directional speaker technology, the concept for the first and only truly "personal" personal assistant has emerged.

Among the limitations of personal assistant technology currently available in the marketplace is the lack of privacy that devices like Alexa, Echo, and Siri provide to users. When these devices produce audio replies to the user, there is no privacy to the conversation as the sound can be heard by anyone in range of the device's traditional speaker.

But now, Holosonics and XMOS have developed the technology to customize a personal assistant's response by pointing an audio reply directly at the person in a room who queried the device. By combining Holosonics' revolutionary directional audio technology with XMOS' highly directional microphone, personal assistant devices of the future could have the ability to pinpoint the exact direction of an audio reply within a given space to provide a user with all of the sound and none of the noise.™ Audio Spotlight's revolutionary audio technology creates sound in a narrow laser-like beam, just like light. From museums, exhibits, and digital signage to retail stores and special projects, hundreds of companies have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound.

"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."

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 schedule an appointment to view a demo at CES 2019, email ces(at)holosonics.com or call us at +1 617-923-4000

About Holosonic Research Labs, Inc.
Holosonic Research Labs, Inc., 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.™

About XMOS
With a 10-year pedigree in Hi-Res and multichannel USB audio solutions, XMOS is at the forefront of the far-field voice interface market, with the most qualified, most comprehensive range. Adopted by leading brands, our high-performance, easily integrated solutions are transforming consumers' interactions with everyday devices. With more than 78 hardware and algorithm patents, XMOS silicon and software solutions deliver best in class voice capture – detecting voice commands accurately, from across the room – even in busy environments when the person is speaking softly. Which means more people get the answer they're looking for from their Virtual Personal Assistant. XMOS is headquartered in the United Kingdom, and has offices throughout the United States and Asia.

SOURCE Holosonics