Velodyne Acoustics GmbH, commonly known as Velodyne, is a company that makes

subwoofer A subwoofer (or sub) is a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio frequencies known as bass and sub-bass, lower in frequency than those which can be (optimally) generated by a woofer. The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is ...

s and related products and was originally founded by David Hall in

Silicon Valley, California Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

, in 1983 and was then purchased in 2019 by Audio Reference of

Hamburg, Germany (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, and its owner Mansour Mamaghani. The company also historically produced some

headphone Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an au ...

products and had a division called Velodyne Lidar that produced

Lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

products and a division called Velodyne Marine that developed a boat stabilization technology. Velodyne founder David Hall spun off Velodyne Lidar as a separate company in 2016. Velodyne Marine is now also a separate company headquartered in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

, that remains owned by David Hall. As of February 2022, the post-acquisition Velodyne Acoustics company's described technologies included only subwoofers and subwoofer-related technology.

History

Audio equipment

David Hall founded Velodyne in 1983 as an audio company specializing in low-frequency sound and subwoofer technology. In 2012, Velodyne added a line of headphones to their product line, starting with the release of the in-ear headphones. The headphone product line was eventually discontinued.

Lidar technology

Around 2005, the company began developing a line of

lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

products, particularly including those using multi-beam spinning lidar scanners mounted on automobiles. The lidar product line was spun off as a separate company called Velodyne Lidar in 2016. That company later severed its ties with Hall after he stepped down as its

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

in January 2020 and as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of its

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

in January 2021, although Hall has retained a large stake in the company and his wife remains on the board.

Marine technology

Hall created the Velodyne Marine division of Velodyne in 2011. Velodyne Marine debuted its first self-stabilizing craft, the Martini, at the 2013 Miami boat show. This prototype was the world's first sea-faring vessel with an active suspension. The Martini derives its name from the claim that it can keep a cocktail from spilling even on turbulent waters. A combination of

sponson Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing. Watercraft On watercraft, a spon ...

s, moving metal legs, gyros and actuators keeps the craft's platform level as it sails. ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' compared the boat to "an Olympic hurdler: The legs fly up and down to clear obstacles, the torso and head stay level." Potential applications include combating seasickness and making docking easier.

Purchase of the remaining audio equipment business

After spinning off the product lines other than audio equipment into separate companies, the remainder of the company was purchased on November 22, 2019, by Audio Reference of Hamburg, Germany, after a year of negotiations between David Hall, the owner of Velodyne, and Mansour Mamaghani, the owner of Audio Reference. Audio Reference had been a longtime distributor of Velodyne products, and the purchase included all of the current inventory, spares, patents, designs, and tooling for Velodyne subwoofers.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Companies based in Morgan Hill, California