CopSonic is a patented technology that provides a new communication channel, which uses ultrasound as a way to interact or transmit data between electronic devices. CopSonic was originally founded in 1989. Its Audio R&D Laboratory has been studying for over 20 years the communication and encryption of digital data, and the team discovered the possibility of encrypting digital data into sound.
In 2013, the company filed patent applications around this innovation and started introduction of the technology in the international market as a contactless universal mobile payment solution. The CopSonic SDK allow effortless and cost wise integration of these ultrasounds communication as an alternative or complement to NFC, Bluetooth or QR Codes within activity areas related to Digital Security, Smart Detection, and of course IoT connectivity.
Astounding Services
For end users and IoT autonomous devices worldwide, it is very difficult nowadays to pair or communicate with an environment. According to the use case, regular existing communication technologies such as NFC, Bluetooth, or QR codes have difficulties in providing a universal, secure and/or user-friendly experience. Strong dependencies on specific hardware components, cross-version issues, or user experience are hindering the massive adoption of new usages.
Ultrasounds are a universal and cost efficient solution that allows addressing 100% of the end users with a hardware agnostic solution. The CopSonic SDK allows the integration of such solutions as an alternative or hybrid complement to other technologies for use cases related to digital security, smart detection, and IoT connectivity.
Ultrasounds can be used as an alternative or hybrid complement to existing technologies such as NFC, Bluetooth, or QR Codes depending on the use case, the added value can be universality, security, UX, absence of electromagnetism, or web-to-mobile compatibility. CopSonic is distributing the ultrasound expertise, IP, and technology through an SDK that is provided in B2B mode. The idea is to empower its partners with all the necessary elements to integrate ultrasounds as a communication channel within their existing infrastructure for their own vertical applications. CopSonic considers other topics such as blockchain security as the next logical step for its technology.
Unique Approach
The team at CopSonic states, “…there are only a few competitors worldwide that position themselves as technology providers like CopSonic does.”
The company’s specific approach is related to a strong proprietary IP distributed in the B2B mode for integration inside the existing vertical activities of its partners. CopSonic provides an SDK, which integrates a new codec dedicated to data transmission over the air. This codec allows achieving better results than the competitors with regard to bitrate, security, resistance against noise, and most importantly, it allows answering to the need for a real full-duplex communication. CopSonic is selected by Novares to produce a prototype for ultrasound communication for the automotive industry.
Hurdles Crossed
Launched in 2013, CopSonic is a near field communication technology based on ultrasounds to interact or transmit data between electronic devices. For CopSonic, the most difficult step was to convince the first partners that there could be some strong interest in using an alternative channel with regard to the state-of-the-art technologies that were applied until now (NFC, BLE, etc.).
By the end of 2016 and over 2017, the global market witnessed a shift in demand toward alternative communication channels among which ultrasound topics such as standardization, regulation, and operating system evolution spurred in North America, Europe, and Asia. Large corporates have been able to understand the limits of the existing technologies and now understand the use of hybridizing ultrasounds with other technologies to solve problems related to user experience, specific environments, and even security.
A Leader Holding Years of Experience
Mr. Emmanuel RUIZ, the Founder and CEO of CopSonic, has over 20 years of experience in audio technologies coupled with the management of overseas digital companies. With a Master in Business Informatics, he followed a MIAGE in Toulouse (France). He and his teams were among the first pioneers of DJ software and the first in the world to scratch on MP3 files in the 90’s (Virtual Dj+ software, Hercules Dj Console).
He launched CopSonic in September 2013 after several years of Research and Development and has been actively leading the access-to-market of this disruptive technology ever since, backed by his strong team of dedicated engineers.
Competitive Differentiators
CopSonic focuses on solving technical problems faced by its customers rather than business needs. Ultrasounds as a communication channel can bring multifarious advantages that can influence use cases according to the specificity of each project. As IoT use cases expend through daily lives, ultrasounds can represent a disruptive approach, which can combine UX, absence of electromagnetism, and security.
In most cases, the solutions remain hardware agnostic as the components (microphones and/or speakers) are already present in the devices. When not, these solutions remain cost efficient when considering the price of the simple audio components required to operate the communication channel from both ends.
Owing to the less significance of hardware constraints, use cases can be adopted by a larger volume of end users and therefore the Return on Investment of projects carried by companies/industries will be optimized. Also, as they will address these solutions to a large number, it will facilitate the adoption of new usages among end users.
Evangelizing CopSonic Technology
CopSonic is now scaling its activities over all continents through different use cases that have been identified until now with the large corporates with whom it is already working. The company is multiplying the number of projects that will go live in the upcoming months. “In the meantime, our teams will keep up the evangelization of our technology and the use of ultrasounds as an alternative communication channel. Until now, we have worked on software and electronics but we are preparing at the horizon of 2019, a technology that can change the future of healthcare through specific eHealth projects”, asserts Mr. RUIZ.
In the long term, through its IP and expertise, CopSonic is eyeing to contribute at creating a new standard for ultrasound communication worldwide.