XMEMS showed outlandish microelectromechanical cooling systems and speakers at CES 2025

The American company xMEMS has been exciting the imagination for many years with its unusual speakers and cooling systems based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). These solutions are produced on silicon wafers, which makes them cheaper and more reliable than both classic cone speakers and fan-based cooling systems. At CES 2025, the company presented a range of its current developments, although it chose to remain silent about production plans.

Image source: techpowerup/xMEMS

MEMS systems are compact and energy efficient. Developers of xMEMS speakers have found a way to convert ultrasonic vibrations into midrange frequencies and even bass, achieving what they say is high-quality sound while maintaining a linear frequency response. The air pumping effect is based on a similar technology, which opens the way to the creation of active cooling systems for wearable electronics with simple implementation and high reliability.

In particular, at CES 2025 the company showed the µCooling and XMC-2400 (Sequoia) cooling modules. These modules are capable of pumping up to 35 cm³ of air and remain waterproof. Their energy consumption does not exceed 35 mW. Such modules, for example, can effectively remove heat from smartphone chips. The absence of rotating parts makes the cooling systems completely silent.

In the field of MEMS speakers, the company has introduced a new device. If xMEMS previously promoted full-frequency solutions, now it has Cowell high-frequency MEMS speakers in its arsenal, designed to create hybrid headphones.

MEMS tweeters complement conventional cone speakers, not only extending the frequency range beyond 4 kHz, but also improving spatial sound. According to the company, they improve the accuracy of virtual positioning of sound sources by 30%, which is especially useful in games, and are also 15% faster than traditional speakers.

Another highlight at the show were the Sycamore speakers, which the company calls short-range speakers. These are speakers for smartwatches, laptops, smartphones and virtual reality headsets. They have full sound and are designed for installation in electronics, which have very little space.

According to xMEMS, the Sycamore speakers are only 1mm thick, which is a third of the thickness of conventional speakers. A mock-up of a smartwatch with Sycamore installed was presented at the stand. It sounds attractive. However, unfortunately, xMEMS has not yet been able to find adequate support among electronics manufacturers to make this promising technology widespread.