Dr. Michael Pate

Dr Michael Pate received advanced degrees from Texas Tech University and Denmark Technical University concentrating in the design of Class-D amplifiers for audio systems. After completing his Ph.D. work he began at Texas Instruments where he led the design of some of the highest power integrated Class-D amps on the market. From there Dr Pate moved to product definition roles at Cirrus Logic, Audience and Knowles Electronics where he focused on mixed signal audio, DSP and algorithms and MEMS microphones respectively. Having worked in all audio components as a semiconductor supplier he moved to Fitbit and now works at Google where he runs audio architecture and algorithm development for mobile products including the Pixel Phone and Pixel Buds.

Hey Google, Help Me Hear

Human hearing is an amazing sense that delivers an incredible amount of information about an individual’s surroundings and allows humans to convey thoughts to one another through voice communication. Audio centric, and specifically ear worn wearable devices (hearables) offer a unique opportunity to augment, improve or even supercharge a wearer’s listening capabilities. This talk will discuss some trends in both human listening and machine listening technologies as well as point to specific needs for future MEMS technologies.