St. John's-based Audyse Technology is working on finalizing a noise-cancelling algorithm to protect motorcyclists’ hearing as it prepares to raise a funding round early next year.

Audyse is developing a noice-cancelling headset that will protect riders from the hazardously loud noises generated by both wind and their motorbikes themselves. A software suite will avoid blocking important sounds, like car horns.

In the meantime, CEO Robin Murphy said in an interview that he and co-founder Jim Millan are focused on customer discovery, reaching out to motorcyclists to conduct market research and secure expressions of interest. Millan holds a PhD in engineering from Memorial University, and Murphy said both men are avid riders.

“We're putting out a campaign saying, ‘Hey, is this something you'd actually like? What kind of features do you want?’” said Murphy, who invited motorcyclists to contact the company to discuss those questions. “It’s … about trying to see what kind of things people would look for in a product like this.

“We’re basically trying to see if people actually know that, by riding motorcycles, they’re damaging their hearing. We think it’s going to be a bit of an educational play.”

He added that Audyse’s internal testing has shown motorcyclists can be consistently exposed to 100 to 110 decibels of noise, which is enough to cause hearing loss, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Rides on the highway can be as loud as 120 decibels, causing immediate hearing damage.

But the lower pitches of motorcycle engines and wind noise tend to cause riders to underestimate how loud they actually are, Murphy added, meaning motorcyclists can be unaware of the danger they face.

He said the conventional solution has been for riders to play music that drowns out background noise, but does little to actually protect their hearing. Many motorcyclists also have a misconception that the loudest source of sound is their bikes, when wind noise can be just as great a factor at high speeds.

Noise cancelling technology works by creating sound waves that interfere with the movement of other waves when they make contact — a process known in physics as disruptive interference.

So far, Audyse’s in-progress minimum viable product has managed to achieve about 20 decibels of noise reduction. Murphy said his team is aiming for 35 to 40 decibels of reduction, which would be enough to lower the noise volume inside a rider’s helmet to safe levels.

He said he expects to take the product to market in about 18 months, with the first units being manufactured in-house by Audyse before the company eventually partners with a motorcycle helmet manufacturer.

“With the motorcycle industry … there’s a lot of players and there's a very big market, but the players in that are very specific,” said Murphy. “There are only about 10 major helmet manufacturers who are used globally, so getting a partnership with one of them is ultimately our end goal.

“But in order to prove to them that there’s a market … we need to build the first 1,000 to 2,000 units ourselves.”