xMEMS Revolutionizes Audio and Design in Smart Glasses

The Next Wave in Consumer Tech

Year after year, consumer technology takes leaps forward. We're seeing smartphones with capabilities far beyond mere communication, like forecasting your day or alerting you to health issues before symptoms arise. Nevertheless, the heart of these devices—dynamic drivers—has largely not evolved for a century.

These dynamic drivers, the core audio elements in products like earbuds and smartwatches, follow traditional physics principles to transmit sound. Yet, as devices grow smarter, companies like xMEMS suggest it's time for audio technology to advance as well.

Introducing MEMS Over Dynamic Drivers

Dynamic drivers rely on a combination of a magnet, voice coil, and diaphragm to convert electrical signals into sound. While they're known for efficiency and affordability, their significant bulk can blur sounds at high volumes.

Enter xMEMS' Cowell and Sycamore microspeakers. The extremely compact Cowell chip is already powering devices on the market, serving as a tweeter to elevate high-frequency audio.

The Sycamore chip, remarkably slim at just one millimeter, could potentially replace dynamic drivers entirely. Although not yet widely available, prototypes suggest enhanced clarity without audible bass vibration.

Redefining Smart Wearables

Designed specifically for wearables, Sycamore-N and Sycamore-W enable thinner, lighter smartwatches and glasses while drastically improving audio quality. This innovation allows manufacturers to keep devices sleek without compromising on sound.

In practical tests with prototype smart glasses, Sycamore-N delivered exceptional sound clarity and wide spatial audio, overcoming limitations seen with traditional drivers.

Novel Heat Management Solutions

xMEMS isn't just innovating audio; it's tackling heat management with its fan-on-a-chip offering. As smart devices become more high-powered, managing heat becomes crucial.

Traditional fans in devices can be noisy and inefficient but xMEMS' micro-cooling technology provides targeted cooling, effectively managing both heat and humidity, without interrupting the user experience.

This advancement holds significant promise for future smart devices—enabling them to operate efficiently and comfortably in a variety of conditions.