Feonic is a commercial company specialising in the design and development of
magnetostrictive audio products and is a spin-off from
Hull University
, mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status
, type = Public
, endowment = £18.8 million (2016)
, budget = £190 million ...
.
Products
The products use a
smart material
Smart materials, also called intelligent or responsive materials, are designed materials that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli, such as stress, moisture, electric or magnetic ...
that changes shape in a
magnetic field. This material was developed for
sonar
Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...
devices by the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
but is now commercially available. The products developed by Feonic use the force created by the change in shape of this smart material to vibrate structures such as floors, windows, walls, and the acoustically conductive structures of ships to produce sound.
The company's first consumer product, the
SoundBug, led to the successful roll out of the Whispering Window, enabling shop windows to produce sound.
The company has developed a new range of “F Drives” to create flat panel speakers with various applications in the transport, pro-audio, domestic, consumer and commercial markets.
The company markets their products for use in a wide range of environments including train stations, shops, homes, and on boats. Advantages over standalone speakers are described as the systems' efficiency, ability to be tightly integrated into structures and products, resistance to damage, and clarity.
History
The timeline below summarises how Feonic has developed:
* 1999 Newlands Scientific plc was incorporated to provide research, development and consultancy services in magnetostrictive devices and exploit the possibilities of Terfenol-D.
* 2000 Brian Smith was appointed as Managing Director and the product development process began.
* 2002 Soundbug launched at CeBit (the world’s largest technology trade show) and Feonic technology trademarked.
* 2003 Newlands Scientific develops Whispering Window and launches Presenter. Soundbug wins Red Dot design award.
* 2004 Newlands Scientific becomes Feonic plc and wins UK electronics industry design award for best use of technology.
* 2008 New generation F-Drive products are launched and Feonic Transport formed as a joint venture.
* 2009 Feonic South East Asia formed as a distributor; a deal has been agreed with Techtonic for Core Vista panels and product certification received from Network Rail.
* 2012 Philip Jarvis appointed as Group CEO.
References
External links
FeonicTechnology YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feonic
Loudspeaker manufacturers
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United Kingdom