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Aiming for Sound Accessibility: "Mirai Speaker Curvy" Now Available
Sound Fan, a downtown senior venture, launched its new "Curvy" model of the "Mirai Speaker" – a speaker aiming for sound accessibility – on March 3rd, "Ear Day".
The company is a venture led by veteran executives in their 60s and 70s, pursuing its mission of "Bringing Happiness to People Worldwide Through Sound!" through its Mirai Speaker and Comfort Audio businesses.
A launch event was held on the 2nd at the Itoki Tokyo Innovation Center SYNQA in Chuo Ward.
President Kazunori Sato introduced the Mirai Speaker, stating it was developed with the goal of being "easy to hear for everyone," from the hard-of-hearing to those with normal hearing. He explained that the new Curvy model is a high-end version with improved sound quality, performance, and design. He mentioned that the impetus for developing this speaker came from hearing that "elderly people with hearing loss find the sound from a phonograph easier to hear than from a regular speaker." He then used a music box and a flat surface to demonstrate the simple principle. The faint melody of the music box became clearly audible all the way to the far end of the venue simply by placing it against a curved pad. This is because, unlike conventional speakers that emit sound from a single point source, the curved diaphragm generates sound across its entire surface. This allows the sound to reach the listener's ear without dispersing.
The Mirai Speaker Boxy, released in 2016, has been recognized for its capabilities and is now used in various locations, such as airport check-in counters, securities company seminars, and bank customer service counters for announcements. President Sato stated, "We will continue striving for miniaturization and weight reduction, aiming to develop next-generation models effective even during disasters."
Following a technical explanation by Director Nobuhiro Miyahara, a talk session took place on stage.
Participants included Takashi Fujisawa, Director of the Smart Sound Design Society; Ayaka Asami of Dentsu Inc. Business Creation Center, who is herself hearing impaired; and President Sato.
Regarding the current situation in Japan where approximately one in nine people has hearing loss, Asami stated, "People with hearing loss also want to actively communicate with others, but both government and private sectors have been slow to respond, with little consideration." Fujisawa added, "Sensitivity to sound varies greatly between individuals, making it extremely difficult to explain objectively. This is one reason why hearing loss doesn't receive much attention." He further stated, "Moving forward, we want to advance research and development across three categories: sound sources, playback environments, and playback devices." Representative Sato stated, "Because sound hasn't been seriously discussed until now, the sound environment has deteriorated. The real need is for people to hear voices clearly and engage in conversation. We want to start by improving this problem in daily life and public spaces."
Mr. Asami also stated, "Solutions based on sound are preferable to relying on text. We hope this trend will expand and accelerate as we approach 2020." Mr. Fujisawa added, "While the degree of hearing loss varies greatly, we should aim for environments that provide equal conditions for many people." Finally, CEO Sato remarked, "Mirai Speaker isn't the only solution. Combining it with regular speakers can also improve the sound environment. We want to try various approaches."
Official Website: https://soundfun.co. jp/
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