I support maiditu’s summary.
Here are some post-EGM thoughts:
Yuval began by saying that he wished he could be giving this briefing early next year ‘after a little more time’ to conclude testing of the new chips. The news of the very recent ‘break-throughs’ solving long-standing obstacles as outlined in this morning’s release only became possible very recently, so this briefing was decided to coincide with the EGM.
He explained the ‘Charge Trapping’ problem in a lot more detail than in the PP slides. The team has been grappling with it ‘for 18 months’. The solution described at the last AGM did work, but the manufacturing tolerances proved very difficult, and eventually impractical, so other solutions had to be pursued.
Of the three different solutions finally found, ALL worked, but one proved the simplest - and also cheaper to produce, although this also required new algorithms and other work to be done that is only now being concluded. It also requires slightly more power, and for this reason two different solutions will be offered to customers.
Durability over billions of cycles has been demonstrated, so there’s now high confidence about this aspect.
The SOUND issue is interesting, because the simpler chip structure now being developed has a unique new lower frequency range than the earlier chip: well below 100hz, possibly down to 50hz. It also offers a uniquely linear response, with NO measurable Sound Pressure Level (SPL) SLOPE, as is the case in all other speakers. This appears to offer hifi volumes from much smaller devices equivalent to the largest woofers...
(In answer to a question about volumes, these will be apparently be published after quantitative testing early next year.)
(In discussion afterward, Yuval made it clear that a fundamental aim is to offer ONE standard MEMS chip for sound production in a mobile phone, and then linked 2-4 chips for other sound applications in larger devices. And he’s very confident that the mobile phone application will be far superior to existing devices, including in sound quality, price, volumetric size, power required and durability.)
Summary and Questions
Everything is now coming together quite quickly now.
Still waiting for the Fab to produce further chips for detailed testing, and ‘packaging’ to produce music.
All recent testing has been on ‘sine waveforms’ ‘All sounds can be converted into sine waves, so I’m happy now that it can play ANY sound’.
What’s the greatest technical risk now?
A: ‘The big risks are now behind us. A couple of technical steps are needed for wafer detailing (to ‘split into single pixels’ (?))
‘We have the driver, and have done several cycles of packaging...’
‘More work is underway on signal processing algorithms..... there are 12-13 steps including filters, equalisers, etc.’
Further stages now are detailed environmental testing to prove long-term durability: temp, shock, humidity, dust, etc.
Have already proven components ‘at up to 900degC, and 250,000g!’, so very confident they’ll be no environmental problems.
And the film coating to keep dust out is also fully proven. The membrane is completely transparent to sound (a unique NASA technology, apparently another technological breakthrough!)
BUT THE BIGGEST TECHNICAL PROBLEM, THE MEMS CHIP, IS NOW SOLVED!
Demonstration timescales now?
A German vendor is producing the demonstration ‘package’....
Fred explained:
‘As stated, we have to first demonstrate to ourselves in a clean room, then we’ll talk to others. MANY big players are very anxious to get access now......
Funding to production? ‘That’s NEVER been a problem for the last 8 years’ and even less now....!
On possible competitors:
We believe there are none at present; one analogue MEMS producer isn’t really competitive. Sony technologists ‘who said years ago it’s impossible - are now our biggest champions’.
Our anti-stiction solution is patentable, and ‘we see it as a stand-alone solution for other devices. There are two MEMS chips en every mobile phone, and lots more in cars, etc.’
In discussion with Fred afterwards, he made it clear that he won’t be rushing into a deal, because of the high probability that the world’s largest IT corporations won’t want to be ‘out of the picture....’
My strong impression is that 2019 could be very exciting for Audiopixels, aided by the
‘MINEFIELD OF PATENTS’ laid by Danny, Yuval and Co!
As Yuval said: ‘I take great joy now...I’m on Cloud Nine’!
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(20min delay)