Henri Malartic

Tyco Electronics Ltd. is a leading global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, specialty products and undersea telecommunication systems, with fiscal 2009 sales of US$10.3 billion to customers in more than 150 countries. We design, manufacture and market products for customers in a broad array of industries including automotive; data communication systems and consumer electronics; telecommunications; aerospace, defense and marine; medical; energy; and lighting. With approximately 7,000 engineers and worldwide manufacturing, sales and customer service capabilities, Tyco Electronics' commitment is our customers' advantage. More information on Tyco Electronics can be found at http://www.tycoelectronics.com/

Sensitive Object is a spin-off of Paris LOA (Laboratoire des Ondes Acoustiques), the main acoustic laboratory of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Sensitive Object was incorporated in October 2003, is located near Paris, and is financed by Sofinnova Partners.
Sensitive Object has developed a patented acoustic technology called ReverSys (TM). It allows the detection, with a high accuracy, of touches, taps or knocks on solid object. The technology works independently from the object’s shape (2D or 3D) and the object material (glass, metal, wood, concrete, plastic…).
ReverSys™ technology is deployed as a software engine, running on a PC or embedded in a microprocessor. It discriminates impacts based on the acoustic signature and triggers any set of actions required by the system.
A table is transformed in keyboard; a door, a wall or a window is transformed in a control panel; or a glass sheet placed in front of a display is transformed into a touch screen.

The Pioneer speaker market is divided into 3 main geographical zones: North America, Asia and Europe. Three R&D centres, each located in a different zone, are responsible for the control of creation, development and production.

•PEC (Pioneer Electronics Company): Tokyo, Japan (Asian market and international products)
•PET (Pioneer Electronics Technology): Los Angeles, USA (North American market)
•SDC Speaker Design Centre: Paris, France (European market)

In this way, each centre can offer products which are adapted to the particular demands of music and film lovers in each region of the world.


The Speaker Design Centre's (SDC) main headquarters are based in Paris, in order to respond to new trends first. A cosmopolitan team creates and develops the Pioneer speakers in response to market- related studies conducted in every European subsidiary.

Pioneer speakers are known for their exceptional acoustic qualities and their design which matches perfectly to European interiors. These qualities have made them into the new standard reference models in Hi-Fi as well as in Home Cinema.

The SDC offers more than 50 years of experience in acoustic research, and close collaboration with the R&D of PET and PEC departments (who develop professional Technical Audio Devices speakers: TAD).

Before introducing the model to the market, SDC realises:


The design, the acoustic creation (measurements, sound quality control, scale-model making...) and the mechanical creation (structures and connections, plan drawing, CAO 2D and 3D)
The product control of pieces which are mass produced and their final fabrication in Europe and China,
The export control to Pioneer's European headquarters in Antwerp. This way, the products are distributed to every subsidiary or distributor by traditional networks.