How Auracast Bluetooth could boost your business
A new Bluetooth technology called Auracast could prove a boon for businesses in the hospitality industry and beyond.
Auracast is a new type of Bluetooth broadcast being demonstrated at CES 2024, which can reach an unlimited number of users simultaneously. It has a huge range of potential applications, particularly in public spaces such as bars, airports and entertainment venues.
One of Auracast’s big strengths is that it can be used to target audio at particular customers. In a bar, for example, you might have multiple television screens showing different football matches. With Auracast, customers could elect to listen to the audio commentary for their chosen game, while other customers listen to another, each using their own Bluetooth headphones. Customers who don’t wish to watch any game aren’t disturbed by audio being blasted out in the bar, as the TVs remain on mute.
Related reading: CES 2024: Business tech trends
Which businesses could benefit from Auracast Bluetooth?
Venues such as theatres or business conference auditoriums could use Auracast to beam the audio from performers/speakers to audiences. Transmitters have a range of up to 100m and there’s no limit to the number of listeners or the number of audio streams that can be broadcast in a venue.
That means the system could be used to provide live translations of conference speeches in different languages, with the audience using a smartphone app to choose which language they want to listen to on their headphones.
At the airport, the system can be used to provide tailored announcements to passengers. For example, travellers could choose an Auracast audio feed for their particular flight, only hearing announcements about delays or gate changes that affect them, rather than the entire terminal. Much like satnav instructions, Auracast broadcasts can interrupt other audio such as Spotify streams, so that passengers can listen to music and not miss vital announcements.
The technology has particular benefits for people with hearing impairments, who might ordinarily struggle to hear announcements in public spaces.
Auracast equipment costs
Auracast does need dedicated receiver/transmitter hardware, but several speaker and headphone companies have already announced Auracast-enabled products. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is also confident the standard will be supported by the major smartphone manufacturers in the coming months.
Businesses won’t need to replace all of their existing AV equipment to provide Auracast feeds, however. For example, relatively cheap ($50) transmitter dongles can be fitted to existing television sets to beam Auracast audio to customers within viewing range.
Dedicated Auracast transmitters that can be fitted in venues such as theatres and conference centres are also starting to appear on the market.
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Barry Collins
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