Southampton spinout raises £1.5m to revolutionise 3D audio experience
University of Southampton spinout Audioscenic has secured a £1.5m investment to launch its immersive 3D audio technology in the automotive and simulator markets.
The company, based on cutting-edge research in Southampton’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), monitors the position of a listener’s head to beam separate soundwaves to their left and right ears.
The result is a 3D audio experience beyond that of conventional surround sound.
Audioscenic’s technology was co-developed by Dr Marcos Simón under the supervision of Professor Filippo Fazi, a world leading expert in 3D audio theory and algorithms.
The innovations were advanced during S3A, a five-year research collaboration between the Universities of Southampton, Surrey and Salford, and BBC R&D, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Dr Simón, Audioscenic Chief Technology Officer and Southampton Visiting Researcher, says: “We are doubly proud that we have been able to raise investment in these current difficult times and we will continue challenging the state-of-the-art in audio reproduction and enhance the way people consume loudspeaker audio.
“With these funds we aim to grow our team further, increasing our expertise in adaptive audio and computer vision and making the adoption of our technology a reality.”
The £1.5 million investment is comprised of £1.05 million secured from the Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Engineering, with a further £525,000 from existing investors IP Group.