It purchased 3D audio startup Dysonics, including its patents for tracking binaural sound.
Google recently acquired a 3D audio startup that could lead to new features for the Pixel Buds or any of its other future products. Protocol has discovered a filing (PDF) with the US Patent and Trademark Office, which reveals that the tech giant bought Dysonics and its intellectual properties, back in December. Those IPs include patents for tracking binaural sound.
As the publication notes, the acquisition could end up introducing spatial audio support to the next iteration of the Pixel Buds, similar to the surround sound effect feature Apple rolled out for the AirPods Pro and Max.
The startup’s co-founder and CTO Robert Dalton Jr. updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new job working on audio hardware for Google.
Other former Dysonics employees have also joined the company in the same division — one software engineer wrote that he’s now working “on a team that builds audio algorithms for a variety of Google’s hardware products.” However, they didn’t say what hardware they’re developing exactly.
While the Pixel Buds seems most likely, they could be building other products for the company, such as the next generation of Nest speakers. They could also be developing new mixed reality products for the tech giant, which discontinued its Daydream View headsets in 2019 but purchased AR glasses maker North last year.
