Vesper Announces First Reference Design with MediaTek for Rich IoT Products

BOSTON, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vesper, developer of the world's most advanced acoustic sensors, today announced that its piezoelectric MEMS microphones will be included in a reference design from MediaTek. A global fabless semiconductor company that enables 1.5 billion connected devices a year, MediaTek is the market leader in voice assisted and rich IoT devices. The reference design can be used to incorporate voice into a broad range of connected devices, such as soundbars, TVs, portable smart speakers, security cameras, appliances, and more.

The Pumpkin reference design, featuring Vesper's proprietary piezoelectric MEMS technology interfaced with MediaTek MT8516 solution for smart speakers and MT8167 solution for smart displays, is the most feature-rich, highest-performance voice-enabled reference design on the market. In addition to the ability to support up to seven analog VM1001 MEMS mics in various configurations for the ultimate in far-field voice performance, the platform also supports dual digital mics.

"With the explosion of voice interfaces, MediaTek and Vesper collaborated to make it easier and faster for our customers to bring a seamless, feature-rich voice interface into all their products," said Matt Crowley, CEO of Vesper. "The Pumpkin EVK reference design with MediaTek enables device manufacturers to quickly and easily deliver the voice experience their customers demand."

Beyond leading voice performance, the Pumpkin reference design also supports Vesper's revolutionary ZeroPower Listening™ technology with a VM1010 interface. This ZPL technology will enable battery-powered far field product categories in the smart home and eliminates the need to compromise between portability and performance. In addition, Pumpkin supports Vesper's new high AOP woofer feedback mic, the VM2020, which can capture audio signals as loud as a jet engine without distortion. This capability will create a much louder, bass-rich, air-shaking music listening experience in soundbars, TVs and smart speakers than has ever before been possible.

Vesper's proprietary ZPL technology allows batteries in connected devices to last more than five times longer since it consumes virtually zero power in listening mode until turned on via a wake-word like "Alexa." The reference design offers flexible mic-array configurations of up to seven VM1001 microphones in various geometries. Additionally, Vesper's high Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) allows clear audio capture in loud environments such as 150dB Sound Pressure Level (SPL) with its ultra-high Acoustic Overload Point (AOP) VM2020 microphone. 

"As the No. 1 chipmaker for voice assistant devices, our work with Vesper will  continue to accelerate innovation in the IoT landscape," said Mohit Bhushan, Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Business Development at MediaTek. "Our high-performance chipsets help intelligent decision-making happen faster with lower power consumption. We look forward to powering the next generation of intelligent devices that make consumers' lives easier."

Vesper is the inventor and only provider of piezoelectric MEMS microphones. Its microphones are designed to withstand real-world use in connected devices, such as contact with water, oil, beer, dust and particle contaminants, making them perfectly suited for the smart home or outdoor environments. They're high-performance and enable acoustically rich experiences for any application—from sensor trash cans to smarthome products to IoT devices.

MediaTek and Vesper have entered a long-term partnership to continue delivering market-leading solutions in the years to come.

About Vesper
Vesper is a privately held advanced sensor company based in Boston, Mass. With origins at the University of Michigan, Vesper's award-winning microphones are driving a new era of pervasive voice interfaces and acoustic event-detection products via a proprietary piezoelectric MEMS technology. For more information, visit www.vespermems.com, Twitter, YouTube and Vesper Blog.

Vesper Press Contact:
Joanna Weinstein, Hollywood Agency                  
[email protected]

SOURCE Vesper

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