Fledgling technology may have the potential to change or improve lives, but it can be difficult to predict which markets will ultimately offer the most success. And sometimes it takes time for the rest of the world to catch up to a good idea.
FeONIC is a technology that can do extraordinary things. Using vibration manipulation and control, products that contain FeONIC technology can eliminate noise, create noise, turn windows into speakers and create silent ships.
With such far reaching possibilities, identifying and exploiting the market potential for the technology is an ongoing challenge for the team that discovered it.
Effective product design and development has helped to establish FeONIC plc as a leading innovator in the hi-tech digital audio market, where the FeONIC Soundbug and Presenter are proving successful consumer products.
In addition, there are currently two very different markets emerging for FeONIC: digital signage and noise cancellation.
As a small team, the company relies on external partners in different territories to sell-in the potential of the technology to companies who might be interested in these applications.
‘We developed digital signage products several years ago, such as our Whispering Window,’ explains Brenda Hopkins, Chairman of FeONIC plc. ‘But the market wasn’t ready and there was only limited interest. Now the whole subject of digital signage is coming into its own and the retail world is catching up at last. The ability to attract customers using sophisticated audio signs has massive potential for retailers. We’ve had to wait a while, but now the interest is definitely there.’
Similarly, as Hopkins explains, noise reduction and cancellation have become increasingly important in recent years.
‘In an age when environmental noise is seen as pollution, our ability to control the noise coming into a room from outside is enabling us to make very meaningful products.’
FeONIC’s Italian partners have embraced this idea and sold in its potential on an industrial scale to the world’s largest ship builder. FeONIC will be used to control the vibrations from a cruise liner’s propellers and engines, significantly reducing noise levels for travellers. In addition, FeONIC technology will be used to transmit audio into every cabin without the need for individual speakers.
Flexibility
The flexibility of FeONIC technology and its potential applications is key to the company’s success. ‘Because we’re not involved in manufacturing, we can continue to look at various applications,’ says Hopkins. ‘Our business model allows us to continue exploring different avenues for the technology and try to develop products that meet real market needs, which ever direction that takes us in.’
