The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the rapid emergence and widespread adoption of game-changing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and mobility, and growing importance of technologies such as automatic calibrated headphones, advanced sensors, signal processing algorithms, digital signal processing, and firmware and software integration to provide personalised, optimised, and immersive audio experiences for individual listeners. In the last three years alone, there have been over 3.6 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Technology Innovation: Automatic calibrated headphones. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
300+ innovations will shape the technology industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the technology industry using innovation intensity models built on over 2.5 million patents, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, microphone beamforming, live betting games, and quantum dots are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Circuit design testing, smart contracts, and surround sound systems are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are, vehicle platooning, PCI power management and wireless microphones, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the technology industry
Automatic calibrated headphones is a key innovation area in technology
Automatic calibrated headphones are headphones that have been pre-set to automatically adapt the sound output according to the user's hearing capabilities. This ensures that the audio is customised to match the unique hearing profile of the individual, resulting in a more immersive and pleasurable listening experience.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of automatic calibrated headphones.
Key players in automatic calibrated headphones – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to automatic calibrated headphones
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Qualcomm is one of the leading patent filers in automatic calibrated headphones. The company’s patents are aimed at techniques of compressing decomposed representations of a sound field. A device comprising one or more processors can be configured to obtain a bitstream comprising a compressed version of a spatial component of a sound field, which is generated by performing a vector-based synthesis with respect to a plurality of spherical harmonic coefficients.
Other prominent patent filers in the space include Nokia and Microsoft.
In terms of geographic reach, ARKAMYS leads the pack, followed by Qualcomm and Nokia. In terms of application diversity, Microsoft holds the top position, followed by Razer and Starkey Hearing Technologies.
Automatic calibrated headphones provide personalised, optimised, and accessible audio experiences. By catering to individual hearing profiles, they enhance audio quality, user comfort, and overall enjoyment of audio content.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Technology.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
