In-vehicle audio systems are facing one of the biggest challenges and opportunities presented by the rise of automated driving while taking on a “life-and-death” role in future cars.
That’s the view of one of Audio Foundry’s founders Matt Marchese, senior director of automotive at specialist auto supplier Tymphany, who says the industry is in the process of gearing up to face the biggest technological changes in its history.
Speaking to WardsAuto, Marchese, who lives in the Bay Area of San Francisco, says autonomous driving opens up a new vista of possibilities for in-car sound systems and it’s a reality here and now.
He explains: “There are some very unique technologies coming to the vehicle and the vehicles themselves are changing quite rapidly, autonomous vehicles for example, and we are servicing the likes of Waymo. If you go to downtown San Francisco there are autonomous vehicles running around all over the place.”
This change will affect all aspects of what future audio systems will have to address when providing a service to the consumer.
Marchese says: “We think that, from an audio perspective, this is going to be the biggest shift change for audio and presents opportunities for companies to provide hardware. That’s because the way people will consume audio or infotainment is changing with this technology.
“Now people are going to be sitting in non-traditional locations around the vehicle, the seating positions could be quite different, entering and exiting the vehicle all become a very big challenge for positioning audio hardware.
“Today, we know exactly where the drivers and passengers are sitting and know exactly where the content is coming from. This is going to change and it is a challenge but also a massive opportunity.”
Marchese also believes the in-car audio system could have a growing role in the safety features of future vehicles in terms of how it alerts both car drivers and vulnerable road users outside the vehicle.
He explains: “Audio is not entirely about music playback anymore. If you think about all the boops, the beeps and the signals from a safety perspective, I would argue that audio is a matter of life-and-death in the vehicle.”
He says this is why the Audio Foundry was established. Audio Foundry brings together like-minded audio specialists to innovate novel technologies and experiences that benefit the development of auto audio systems.
It also serves as an experimental retreat for automakers, component manufacturers and technology providers to share ideas and has established a special studio for this at Bridgend in Wales, U.K.
Marchese says: “We need to prioritize the safety aspect more. That’s why the Foundry was created, to bring a stronger emphasis through more collaboration with data to provide the design community or the OEM community.
“Not only are we focusing on interior microphones for the vehicles, we are also working on exterior microphones, for example, from an emergency-vehicle perspective. When the car detects an emergency vehicle is in the vicinity and also directionally – where is it coming from? It could then give the driver an appropriate signal to warn them that an emergency vehicle is approaching.”
Current issues facing the audio industry revolve around a perceived lack of collaboration between automakers and audio suppliers.
Marchese says: “Part of the Audio Foundry’s mission is to elevate the automotive audio engineer and to provide new proof of concepts that help defend why audio should be placed in certain locations.
“If you look at the more traditional requirement for today, one of the biggest challenges that we see is package. It’s a contentious but friendly battle with design studios on where can we package audio in the vehicle that is relevant.”
He gives an illustration of his own company’s experience with a leading automaker where finding a position to install its audio system was nearly impossible.
Marchese explains: “For example, we were at an OEM’s design studio and were asked to help them decide where to package transducers in the vehicle even though, by the time we got there, the design was done.
“So, we were left asking ‘How about here?’ ‘No, there’s an airbag behind there’ and we were left with no relevant areas to package the audio.
“If audio is a consumer touchpoint, it sure isn’t being prioritized as such. I think that trends we are looking at are non-traditional hardware and packaging them in non-traditional areas in the vehicle. To this end, a big trend is collaboration and we are seeing more of that which is necessary to solve these issues we are facing.”