By
Wisear x Qobuz
July 20, 2023
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PARIS, France — Wisear, a French startup pioneering neural interface earphone technology, and Qobuz, a leader in high-quality music streaming and downloading, are thrilled to announce they have collaborated during a hackathon to prototype a revolutionizing way for users to control their music thanks to Neural Interfaces. 


Tldr:  Wisear, the deeptech startup developing the world’s 1st Smart Earphones powered by a neural interface to offer touch- and voice-less control of any digital devices or apps, has teamed up with leading high quality music streaming and downloading app Qobuz. During a hackathon the Qobuz Product and Engineering teams integrated the Wisear Neural Interfaces and earphones with their app to enhance the user's musical experience by providing a hands-free, intuitive control system that doesn't interrupt the listening experience. With some simple facial muscular movements like clenching your jaw twice, music streaming’s users can play/pause their streamer or move to the next track without having to reach out to their phone. This collaborative prototype showcases how neural interfaces and the Wisear technology can drastically improve the user interface and experience of consumer entertainment apps in the future.

The collaboration between Qobuz and Wisear began in earnest at a recent hackathon, where a team of Software engineers and Product managers from the Qobuz team integrated Wisear's innovative technology into their app. Leveraging their in-depth understanding of the app's functionality and their creative problem-solving abilities, Qobuz developers brainstormed and proposed a solution that seamlessly incorporated Wisear's advanced controls into their user interface in a prototype. The result? An integration that promises for the future an unprecedented level of control over users’ music.

This test integration sets the stage for an immersive, hands-free, and voice-free audio experience. No more fumbling for your phone or incessantly repeating voice commands. Simply control your music using Wisear's neural interface earphones that recognize and interpret facial muscle activity.

Asvin Soundararajan, Wisear’s Head of Business Development stated, "We aim to make digital device interaction as seamless, high speed, private, and accessible as possible. The focus should be on the music, not on how to control it. This first collaboration with Qobuz is a significant step towards making this belief a reality, by validating the benefit of our neural interface in a real environment."

This groundbreaking collaboration not only enhances user experience but also strengthens both Wisear's and Qobuz's position as innovators in their respective fields. The partnership demonstrates the synergies between consumer entertainment apps and neural interfaces-powered devices and highlights the added value this advanced technology provides to users.

"As a music enthusiast, I find myself immersed in my favorite melodies during various moments of my day, whether I'm working, cycling to the office, or engaging in meditation sessions. Often, my phone isn't within immediate reach, either to avoid distractions from the screen or due to my hands being occupied. But I still desire the ability to interact with my favorite music player effortlessly, whether to play the next song or adjust the volume. That's why I'm personally thrilled about this collaboration with Qobuz.’ mentioned Yacine Achiakh, CEO and Co-founder of Wisear.

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“At Wisear, our mission is to pioneer the future of Human-Machine interactions, striving to create seamless and simplified access to digital devices and apps, allowing users to use them without any friction. This hackathon and test integration exemplifies the value of neural interfaces in the music streaming industry and for all music enthusiasts. It opens doors to numerous potential integrations with other leading applications, promising an exciting future for Wisear!" he added.

"We were excited to explore during this hackathon a new way to interact with the music. This integration aligns with our mission to provide the highest quality, intuitive listening experience possible," said David Craff, Audio Player Product Manager at Qobuz. "In the future, offering our users a seamless way to favorite a song or navigate through their playlists without ever needing to touch their phones would be a real benefit. This is about staying in the moment and being fully immersed in the music."

Both companies look forward to introducing their users to a new era of music streaming. To see these new capabilities in action, watch the demo video. The benefit of neural interfaces for entertainment app will be offered to users upon the release of Wisear's smart earphones - planned to launch in 2024 following on-site testing with select trusted partners.

https://youtu.be/fJPeA72So0k
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About Wisear:

Wisear is on a mission to invent the next generation of human-computer interfaces. The deep tech start-up develops neural interface-powered AR/VR products so that users can seamlessly interact in their augmented and virtual worlds, thanks to high-speed, private and accessible controls. Wisear was founded in 2019 by CEO Yacine Achiakh and CTO Alain Sirois. Before embarking on this joint venture together, both co-founders worked at Criteo in San Francisco, California, where Achiakh scaled AI-based products to $100M per year as Product Manager and Sirois  led a team of data scientists. The company is proud to have been recognized as an  honoree at the CES 2023 Innovation Awards and have received the first-ever AccessABILITY award.

For more information: www.wisear.io