Timekettle Raises Nearly $1.2 Million to Launch Bi-Directional, Simultaneous Translation Earbuds

By Adriaan Brits | Monday, 11 October 2021 | Startup, Tech

Timekettle, a cross-language communication startup company, has already raised nearly $1.2 million in funding for its WT2 Edge earbuds, which are equipped with smart noise reduction and bi-directional recognition. The startup company has attracted backing from over 7,300 retail investors on Indiegogo.

Revolutionizing Translating Earbuds

The tech startup company claims its earbuds are the world’s first truly bi-directional, simultaneous translation product. The new two-way earbuds are able to translate in real-time when the user speaks, delivering the translation to the listener’s ear in just 0.5 seconds. Furthermore, the WT2 Edge earbuds are able to translate 40 languages and 93 accents.

The startup company is seeking to revolutionize the way translating earbuds work. Until now, this type of product allowed only one person to talk at a time, while other users had to wait for their turn. This technology made the conversations less natural. However, the WT2 Edge allows users to speak and hear other speakers’ translations at the same time, thanks to its bi-directional simultaneous solution. 

The earbuds utilize dual beamforming microphones and directional voice recognition to separate and focus on the speaker’s voice. The company’s product prevents other nearby voices from affecting the translation. Furthermore, the WT2 Edge also uses smart noise-reduction technology to remove other background noises, ensuring that the voice is clear and not affected by nearby traffic noise and chatter. 

The earbuds leverage all six leading translation engines, which include DeepL, Google, Microsoft, iFlytek, AmiVoive, and Hoya. Timekettle combines these engines to deliver a fast and well-rounded translation experience with an accuracy of 95%, according to the Los Angeles-based startup company.

The startup company also uses 15 servers around the world to maintain ultra-low latency at just 0.5 seconds. WT2 Edge also features a Simul Mode that helps users connect one on one for a seamless face-to-face communication experience. The speaker can just share one of the earbuds with the partner, and both speakers’ words will be translated in real-time.

Another feature, Touch Mode, makes multi-person meetings a more enjoyable experience than ever before. All you need to do is tap your earbud when you want something to say and you will gain control of the conversation as other speakers will be muted. Once you are done speaking, tap the earbud once again to let someone else speak.

WT2 Edge earbuds also have a Speaker mode, if you wish to translate and deliver your message to your partner through your phone’s speaker, instead of sharing one of the earbuds. The Edge app allows you to control the volume and features a Text-to-Speech option to read your typed messages out loud.

In addition to being able to translate 40 languages and 93 dialects in real-time, WT2 Edge is also able to translate seven languages offline — including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, and Russian. 

WT2 Edge earbuds have a long battery life, which provides three hours of nonstop translation in a single charge. When the portable charging case is used, users will have a full 12 hours of battery life. The earbuds can be charged from 0% to 100% in just 90 minutes over a Type-C port. 

The startup business is selling WT2 Edge at a starting price of $309, which includes a language pack. 

Summary

Consumer electronics business Timekettle Technologies has raised almost $1.2 million in funding from thousands of retail business investors for its WT2 Edge earbuds. The product is able to translate 40 languages and 93 dialects in real-time at an ultra-low latency of just 0.5 seconds.

About the Author

Adriaan Brits

As an analyst of global affairs, Adriaan has an MSC from Oxford, with diverse interests in the digital economy, entertainment, and business. He is a specialist trainer in Advanced Analytics & Media.