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I recently had a chance to talk to Robin Murphy (no relation), a recent college grad and the founder of a new company called “Audyse.” Pronounced like the epic poem by Homer, this Newfoundland, Canada-based company aims to protect motorcyclists’ hearing.
In The Development Phase
Audyse Technology is in the R&D phase of producing a noise-cancelling helmet speaker system designed to fit into a motorcycle helmet. Murphy was inspired to create the tech after having some experiences like we probably all have. He went on some long rides and noticed his ears were ringing for some time after he got off the bike.
Earplugs Don’t Do It All
Earplugs work for a lot of us, but Murphy found the published noise reduction frequency range of most earplugs isn’t sufficient to stop all the hearing damage from wind noise. Murphy says:
Based on this information, we see that for typical foam ear plugs, they are less effective at stopping sounds below 500 Hz, compared to higher frequencies (i.e. 500 Hz and above). Our solution is being developed to improve on the noise reduction provided by foam ear plugs, while still enabling you to listen to music, communicate, etc. – something that ear plugs don’t address.
Frequency-Specific
Riders often find earplugs with a good Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) and call that good. Murphy finds, though, that some frequencies come through:
Motorcycle wind noise primarily occupies a very low range of frequencies below 500Hz with very specific peak frequencies, but the precise frequency characteristics vary depending on the type of motorcycle (speed, fairing, riding position, wind, etc). Low frequency sounds are transmitted more readily through solid materials – for example, the type of materials that might be used to passively cancel higher frequency sounds. An everyday example of this is how you can hear the bass (low frequency sounds) from music playing on the other side of a wall more than you can hear the treble. Active cancellation is most effective at these low frequencies. …Our device is designed to target primarily the under 250 Hz range utilizing electronic noise canceling, simply because this is the range in which the majority of the damaging sound is located.
Sharing Information
Audyse’s CTO, Jim Millan, Ph.D., is planning a series of blog posts on their website, explaining all of the research they have done and are doing. And it’s all about noise levels, but also sound frequencies, and where hearing damage occurs.
Photo: Audyse
Helmet Fitment
Their goal is to make their tech brand-agnostic when it comes to helmet fitment. The necessary form-factor of a noise-canceling system is a “muff” style. It needs to fit around, and somewhat seal off, a rider’s ears, inside a helmet. That’s a challenge from a fitment perspective. They’re working on it.
Availability
And on that note, the system is not ready for purchase or shipping yet. They’ll be testing it in 2023, and hope to get it on the market by the 2024 season. Their price-point aim is around $300 USD.
Competition
Now, yes, we’ve seen products like this tentatively pop up on the market before. Some of them end up as vaporware, and most only fit one helmet. The anticipated universal fitment sets Audyse apart. The only hitch might be the fact that most of us who use a bike-to-bike comm system are already committed to a brand. Will Audyse eventually be more than a helmet headset? Will they be able to pair with, and talk to, Cardo or Sena? That’s a tough nut to crack, but definitely worth exploration.
The vibe of the founder is very much riders-helping-riders. Everyone involved is an enthusiastic motorcyclist looking to improve tech in that space. We’ll keep an eye on them, and send good vibes (but not too loud).
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