Company Presentation
Feb-131 VocalZoom Presentation
Company profile• Mission:
• Enable Voice Communication/Operation in any environment• Unleash the potential of voice as a Natural User Interface (NUI)
• Means: Speech enhancement microphone, operating in any noise environment
• Technology, Product & Business Status: • Operational prototype, validating the core technology• Commercialization verified for consumer electronics (cost & size)• Joint Development Agreement signed with Top Automotive OEM• Investment and collaboration agreement Signed with 3M corp
Feb-132 VocalZoom Presentation
Yechiel Kurtz,Active Chairman &President (MBA, BScEE):23 yrs of operational and investment experience as an executive with Apax Partners and MRV Communications (Nasdaq MRVC). Involved as an Angel in several startups, from inception to exit.
Tal Bakish, Founder & CEO (B.Sc Physics): 11 yrs experience in VLSI engineering with Cisco Systems, IBM, Modu-mobile, Intel, Connect-One, Transwitch & Compass-EOS; Founder in several startups.
Gabi Horovitz, VP R&D (MsCEE, BsCEE): 24 yrs of R&D practice, with unique multidisciplinary experience in optics, electronics and signal processing algorithms. Proven success in developing a product from concept to commercial product …
Jaron Peleg, Director of NPI & Operations (BSc Mechanical engineering): Over 23 years of experience in system engineering and operations with companies such as Elbit Systems, NexTec and ChipExpress.
Thierry, Physics expert (Ph.D. Chemical Physics): Extensive experience in a wide variety of technological fields: chemistry, physics, optics and lasers, electronics, and material processing. Worked in V-Gen, Arkema, bTendo and Mempile.
Mark Raipel, DSP expert (MsCEE , BsCEE): 24 years of experience in voice DSP algorithms for commercial products in companies such as DSPG and AudioCodes.
Dr. Yekutiel Avargel and Prof. Israel Cohen, Signal Processing: Prof. Cohen is one of the leading authorities on signal processing for speech enhancement; Dr. Avargel has collaborated with Prof. Cohen for several years
Stas Tiomkin, Voice recognition Advisor: Vast experience with VR engines , Consultant in many companies such as IBM, AudioCodes and RadLive.
Team
Feb-133 VocalZoom Presentation
Need & Opportunity
Main problem: Noise (including other speaker’s voice)limits usage only to quiet environments
Opportunity: enable widespread use of voice in significant markets•Personal & Commercial communications (Notebooks, Automotive, conferencing, cellphones, etc.)•Speech Operation (Automotive, Notebooks, Gaming, dictation, etc.)
Automotive Cellphones Calls
Home EntertainmentCall Centers
Conferencing
Feb-134 VocalZoom Presentation
VocalZoom’s innovation
Combination of two independent sensors, optical and acoustic, provides an unparalleled improvement in Speech Enhancement
Noisy Audio Signal is received by Acoustic Microphone
Digital filters are applied to the Noisy Audio Signal based on the Optical Signal
Optical sensor, immune to acoustic noise, measures vibrations from throat/face of speaker and converts data into Audio Signal
The result: Noise Free audio signal
Feb-135 VocalZoom Presentation
Original recording:Original recording:-5: -10 dB Voice vs. Noise (very hgh noise)-5: -10 dB Voice vs. Noise (very hgh noise)
Google voice result: Google voice result: 0%0% ((ZEROZERO) Word Recognition rate) Word Recognition rate
With VZ technology: With VZ technology: > 20dB Voice vs. Noise> 20dB Voice vs. Noise
Google voice result: Google voice result: 100% Word Recognition rate100% Word Recognition rate
Very strong background noise
Feb-136 VocalZoom Presentation
Click to listen to original recording Click to listen to processed signal using VZ technology
Original recording: Original recording: 3dB Voice vs. Noise (mid-high noise)3dB Voice vs. Noise (mid-high noise)
With VZ technology: With VZ technology: 17dB Voice vs. Noise (very good SNR)17dB Voice vs. Noise (very good SNR)
Cocktail Party Noise
Feb-137 VocalZoom Presentation
Click to listen to original recording Click to listen to processed signal using VZ technology
Original recording:Original recording:2dB Voice vs. Noise (mid-high noise)2dB Voice vs. Noise (mid-high noise)
Google voice result: Google voice result: 0%0% ((ZEROZERO) Word Recognition rate) Word Recognition rate
With VZ technology: With VZ technology: 20dB Voice vs. Noise (very good SNR)20dB Voice vs. Noise (very good SNR)
Google voice result: Google voice result: 100% (perfect) Word Recognition rate100% (perfect) Word Recognition rate
Restaurant Noise
Feb-138 VocalZoom Presentation
Click to listen to original recording Click to listen to processed signal using VZ technology
Competitive TestingNoise scenario: Car driving at 100 KMH, Passenger talking, Driver issuing commands
Feb-139 VocalZoom Presentation
Automotive OEM - Testing Summary• In-car testing on female and male subjects,
driving at 100 KMH (60 MPH)
• Car tests noise scenarios: open/closed windows; with/without background speaker
• Without VZ: Recognition rate dropped to 0-40%
• With VZ: VR engine maintained 60%-95% recognition rate
Feb-1310 VocalZoom Presentation
• US Patent 7,775,113 for direct sampling on active speaker
• US Patent 8,286,493 for dual Acoustic/Optical sensors
• Patent (pending) for unique speech enhancement algorithm
• Patent (pending) for advanced improvement of Voice Recognition rates
• Patent (pending) for Optical Sensor implementation
• Patent (pending) for application-related IP
Intellectual Property
Feb-1311 VocalZoom Presentation
Product Offering• Integrated Speech Enhancement microphone:
• 1st gen size target 10x10 mm; • Integrated Speech Enhancement microphone:
• 2nd gen size target 6x6 mm; • Timeline:
20142013
2015
2012
JulFully Functional demonstration unit, including tracking real-time (PC) processing
Q1-Q2Eng Samples with 1st Gen ASIC
Q3-Q41st generation sales units
JanPOC demo unit
OctFully Functional Dev. Kit with embedded processing
Q1-Q2Eng Samples with 2nd Gen ASIC
Feb-1312 VocalZoom Presentation
ASIC + DSP
ASIC + DSP
Laser diodeLaser diode
photo diodephoto diode
Integration options• Simple analog microphone replacement
(with power)
• Simple digital microphone (I2S interface)
• Feature-rich digital microphone, providing parameters such as Pitch, VAD and Speaker location, in addition to Audio
Feb-1313 VocalZoom Presentation
Competition• Several “noise cancelation” technologies exist (Directional Mics, Mic Arrays, and Bone
Conduction mics), but they all have major disadvantages:• Mainly address stationary noise (wind, machinery, etc.)
• Can’t eliminate other voices (except bone conduction)
• Bone Conduction requires physical contact, and therefore can’t be integrated into end-user devices
• VocalZoom’s Competitive Advantage • The only remote sensing technology able to isolate a target voice from any other noise
• Test results indicate a profound affect on Voice Recognition accuracy
Feb-1314 VocalZoom Presentation
Market potentialApplication VZ value add VZ
TAM ($m)
Long term assumptions
Automotive OEM Improve voice quality and enable handsfree operation 300 50% of will include interactive multimedia
Automotive aftermarket Improve voice quality and enable SR operation 150
Notebooks/ Tablets Enable conferencing and SR operation 625 50% will include SR capabilities
Home Entertainment systems
Enable handsfree operation 430 25% will have interactive multimedia
Wired /Wireless headsets Improve voice quality and VR with superior ease of use
200 Addresses the > $50 product market (33%)
Smartphones Improve voice quality and VR operation 250 Addresses the mid-high market (25%)
Feb-1315 VocalZoom Presentation
Notebook/TabletUse case, Value add and Competition: • Speech recognition for dictation and search
• Enabler for a huge market increase in VR usage, for already large markets (Google Search, Siri, etc.)
• No direct competition• Personal Audio and Video communications
• Enabler for conducting personal A/V communications anywhere
• Main competition from mic-array, which has inferior performance
Feb-1316 VocalZoom Presentation
Notebook NUI Comparable• The market for touch screens, the latest
NUI addition, has grown significantly since introduced
• At launch, a Touch Screen for iphone 4S cost apple $14 in 2011 (isuppli teardown)
• People are willing to pay for a better UI
• Much more information can be expressed by Voice, giving it the potential to be the ultimate NUI
Feb-1317 VocalZoom Presentation
Home EntertainmentUse case, Value add and Competition: • Speech recognition for voice operation, as well as superior quality for conferencing
• Enabler for robust handsfree operation in an inherently noisy environment• No direct competition (under noisy conditions)
• Market validation:• Companies such as Samsung have announced a voice-operated TV…• But performance is less than adequate
• CNET review: “when speaking to the TV's mic from the couch
I often had to repeat commands, and any extra noise in the room was liable to interfere. ”
Feb-1318 VocalZoom Presentation
Personal & Commercial headsetsUse case, Value add and Competition:
• Usage as pickup sensor, positioned at close proximity to the earpiece (very small boom)
• Superior voice quality and Speech Recognition compared to acoustic mic
• Similar performance to Bone Conduction (e.g. Jawbone), but with no physical contact
Feb-1319 VocalZoom Presentation
Summary• Clear value proposition:
Addresses the needs of large and fast-growing markets such as Speech Recognition and Communications
• Highly differentiated and unique product offering: No other solution is known to offer the combination of remote operation, near-zero noise and speaker isolation
• High quality team: The Company’s staff includes individuals with highly relevant experience in all required technologies
Feb-1320 VocalZoom Presentation