Fraunhofer photonics spinout Arioso completes first funding round

Arioso is launching a sound transducer principle for miniaturized headphones using micro loudspeaker technology made from 100% silicon.

It is based on the patented Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive (NED) principle from the Fraunhofer IPMS. This can considerably extend the functional scope for miniaturised headphones, meaning that hearables may independently take over Internet communication in the future.

The headphone no longer has a conventional membrane. Instead, this is installed inside the body of a silicon chip as a series of bending strips similar to the strings on a harp.

New electrostatic actuators called Nano E-Drives are integrated inside the just 20µm wide bending strips, which are energised by vibrations from the audio signal voltage.

These vibrations are heard as sound. As these components can be directly integrated into the silicon chip, they take up less space and are significantly more energy-efficient than conventional loudspeakers.

This micro loudspeaker is therefore suitable for highly-integrated in-ear headphone or hearable applications, such as instant translation, pay functions and other speech-based Internet services.