Lios and SoundBounce: an Irish deep tech bid to quiet a noisy world

Brussels, July 17th 2024

Summary

›Lios, an Irish deep tech company founded in 2009, develops acoustic solutions aimed at reducing noise pollution and hearing damage.
›Their flagship material, SoundBounce, is a lightweight acoustic metamaterial the company says outperforms traditional absorbers and is being trialled across automotive, aerospace, construction, and appliance sectors.
›EIC support via the TANDEM project and an Accelerator grant helped Lios expand its team, run pilot projects, and validate products through third party testing.
›Lios holds a multi phase development contract with ESA under the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme to qualify SoundBounce as a low mass fairing acoustic protection material for satellite launches with Phase 2 near EUR 1 million in co funding.
›The company is now focused on industrialising manufacturing and integrating the material into OEM production lines while navigating the usual deep tech scale up risks.

Quiet by design: Lios reframes noise reduction as a materials problem

Lios is an Irish deep tech company co founded by Rhona Togher and Eimear O'Carroll. Both founders trained as physicists and began the business after personal experience of tinnitus led them to develop Sound Relief, a sound therapy for tinnitus. Over a decade of research has since shifted their focus from therapeutic audio to materials engineering. Their core product is SoundBounce, an advanced acoustic material that the company positions as a high performance, thin and lightweight alternative to conventional noise control materials.

How SoundBounce is described and where caution is due

Company claim about performance:Lios states that SoundBounce delivers substantially greater acoustic performance at lower thickness than conventional absorbers and in some sources claims up to four times the performance in a fraction of the space. The material is described as thin, non toxic, sustainable and cost competitive.

Those performance figures are company claims and typical commercialisation pathways require independent third party validation, repeatable test data and certification for specific applications. Lios reports that they conducted third party testing during pilot projects and produced datasheets to support OEM integration. That validation is a necessary step but not a guarantee of broad market adoption.

What SoundBounce is at a technical level

Acoustic metamaterial and cellular structure:SoundBounce is described as a metamaterial that combines responsive materials in a custom made cellular architecture. Acoustic metamaterials manipulate sound through structure rather than only bulk material properties. This can enable thin panels to absorb or scatter energy at targeted frequencies. The approach requires precise manufacturing to maintain cell geometry and repeatability, which becomes more challenging as production scales.

Why low mass and thin form factors matter:Several industries place a premium on mass and volume. Automotive and aerospace manufacturers seek noise solutions that do not add weight or consume space that would otherwise be used for batteries or fuel. For satellites and launch vehicles, mass targets are strict because every kilogram affects launch cost and performance. Lios is explicitly targeting those constraints with SoundBounce.

Funding, partnerships and validation through EIC and pilots

Lios has been supported by the European Innovation Council. The company joined the EIC funded TANDEM project which focuses on developing an acoustic insulation metamaterial to combat noise pollution. The TANDEM engagement and an EIC grant allowed Lios to expand its multidisciplinary team and accelerate commercial validation.

What the EIC support delivered:According to Lios, EIC funding supported expansion of expertise in materials science, acoustics, mathematical modelling and commercialisation. The backing enabled pilot projects with companies across automotive, construction, home appliance and aerospace sectors, scale up of sample production, third party testing and the creation of product datasheets to approach OEMs.

That pathway is typical of EIC objectives. The EIC targets deep tech firms that face longer development timelines and higher technical risk and where traditional venture capital can be reluctant to invest early. EIC grants are designed to bridge the funding and credibility gap between lab results and market integration.

An ESA collaboration that reframes the use case for launch vehicles

In 2022 Lios completed Phase 1 of a development contract with the European Space Agency under the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme. Phase 2 work began in 2023 and is described as nearly €1 million in co funding. The objective is to develop, test and qualify SoundBounce as a fairing acoustic protection material for space flight.

Fairing Acoustic Protection or FAP:During launch the payload fairing, which encloses satellites on the launcher, is exposed to intense noise and vibro acoustic loads. These loads can damage delicate satellite components. A fairing acoustic protection material must reduce acoustic energy inside the fairing while meeting stringent requirements for mass, outgassing, flammability and qualification for the launch environment.

ESA's FLPP programme typically aims to mature technologies to a level where industrial partners can adopt them for future launchers. Meeting space flight low mass targets is a concrete technical constraint. The partnership with ESA is a meaningful endorsement but qualification for flight requires rigorous testing under defined standards and collaboration with launcher integrators.

Industrialisation is the current bottleneck

Lios reports that after technical and commercial validation they are now focused on industrialising manufacturing. Scaling production of cellular metamaterials introduces several challenges. These include process repeatability, sourcing sustainable feedstocks at scale, maintaining tolerances across large panels or curved parts, and integrating with existing OEM production lines. There is also the commercial task of proving total cost of ownership to procurement teams that may be conservative about replacing incumbent materials.

Technical and market integration hurdles:Beyond manufacturing scale up, successful adoption depends on compatibility with existing assembly processes, regulatory and safety approvals for each sector, long term environmental durability data and convincing procurement teams that the new material offers predictable lifecycle benefits. All of these require time and further capital.

Where SoundBounce is being trialled and what adoption looks like

Lios has run pilot projects across automotive, aerospace, construction and home appliance sectors. The firm's public materials also reference trials with HVAC, ceiling tiles and electric vehicle components. They are participating in industry events and partnerships such as the EIC InnoMatch pilot with a global insulation leader and exhibitions like JEC World to reach composites and OEM audiences.

Claims versus market proof

Company promotional material highlights sustainability, thinness and high acoustic performance. These are legitimate selling points if independently corroborated in application specific testing. For broad market penetration Lios will need repeatable manufacturing, demonstrable long term performance, and competitive pricing compared with incumbent foam, fibrous and polymer absorbers.

Milestone	Year	Notes
Company founding	2009	Founded by Rhona Togher and Eimear O'Carroll, initial work on tinnitus therapy
Sound Relief developed	Undated	Sound therapy for tinnitus, early product from founders' research
Shift to SoundBounce research	Over the last decade	Development of acoustic metamaterial and cellular architectures
EIC TANDEM and Accelerator support	2020s	Funding and pilot support to scale testing and commercial validation
ESA FLPP Phase 1 completion	2022	Initial development contract work
ESA FLPP Phase 2 begins	2023	Phase 2 nearly EUR 1 million in co funding to meet low mass targets
InnoMatch construction pilot announced	2024	Pilot with a global insulation leader under EIC InnoMatch
Industry events and exhibitions	2024 2026	Presence at JEC World and other trade shows to engage OEMs

Noise pollution context and regulatory trends

Lios frames its mission against growing awareness of noise pollution and its health impacts. The company cites concert levels between 110 and 130 decibels where hearing damage can occur within minutes. Policymakers and product regulators in the EU are increasingly attentive to environmental noise as part of public health and urban planning agendas. Over time tougher noise reduction standards across products and buildings could create demand for higher performance, compact acoustic materials.

What this means for deep tech startups and the EIC route

Why deep tech needs patient capital:Lios echoes a common observation that deep tech often sits outside the preferred risk profile of many private investors because of longer timelines and technical risk. Public instruments like the EIC aim to close that gap by providing funding, credibility and market introductions that can catalyse further investment.

The EIC ecosystem can validate technologies for procurement teams in large OEMs and public agencies. However EIC support is rarely the end point. Large scale manufacturing, certification, supply chain risk mitigation and channel development still require further capital and strong commercial partners.

Practical takeaways and advice from Lios for founders

Lios recommends that startups leverage the EIC to build credibility, pitch to market leading companies across sectors and embrace collaborations within the EIC community. That advice is pragmatic. Access to pilots with established manufacturers speeds learning and can highlight integration barriers early. Founders should also be prepared for the less glamorous work of datasheets, repeatable testing and procurement timelines.

Assessment and outlook

Lios presents a credible technological trajectory from lab research through pilot validation to early industrialisation. Its ESA contract is a notable indicator that the material concept is being scrutinised for one of the most demanding environments in industry. The next 12 to 24 months will be decisive in demonstrating scalable manufacturing, consistent performance across real world applications and clear cost advantages for buyers.

If Lios can industrialise production while meeting sector specific regulatory and durability requirements, SoundBounce could displace some incumbent materials in space constrained and weight sensitive applications. If not, the company faces the common deep tech traps of slow adoption and capital hungry scale up. Continued EIC support, strategic OEM partnerships and follow up private investment will be critical to either outcome.

Where to find more information

Lios maintains a company website with product information and news. Details of EIC projects and contracts can be cross referenced in Horizon Europe databases. ESA programme pages provide context on FLPP goals and procurement processes. Readers should treat early performance claims as promising but conditional on independent testing and large scale production data.