EDGE Sound Research Chosen for Mayor’s Innovation Award

Published: 1/22/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Jan. 22, 2026

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Phil Pitchford

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EDGE Sound Research Chosen for Mayor's Innovation Award

Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson will recognize UCR grads at State of the City address Jan. 28

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson will present the 2026 Mayor's Innovation Award to EDGE Sound Research, an innovative technology startup that is revolutionizing the role of immersive audio in sports, entertainment and more.

"EDGE Sound Research is changing the way we experience our world," Lock Dawson said. "Their work is turning audio from something we hear into something we feel, which promises to create much richer and more fulfilling experiences. The possibilities are endless."

The award will be presented Wednesday (1/28) during the annual State of the City address, themed "Leveling Up," at the Riverside Convention Center. Registration and networking begin at 4:30 p.m., with the program scheduled for 6 p.m.

The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce produces the event in partnership with the City of Riverside. The event is streamed on RiversideTV and the City's social media channels. More information can be found here. To buy a ticket or explore sponsorship opportunities, go here.

EDGE Sound Research was launched in 2020 by Dr. Ethan Castro and Valtteri Salomaki, both of whom are UCR grads, to further the connection between sound and sensation. The company hopes to transform how you experience sporting events and other entertainment the same way high-definition resolution and big-screen televisions have revolutionized watching these events.

"Visual technology has had three decades to evolve and redefine realism," Salomaki said. "Now it is audio's turn."

Initial efforts yielded huge inroads in the world of professional sports by creating audio solutions for broadcasting that isolate various sounds that occur during a game and then producing those sounds from stadium seating to create new immersive fan's experience. Their Embodied Sound technology has been used in arena seats with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Indiana University, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fans weren't just watching a game - they were practically in it.

Sitting in the upper deck at a professional baseball game? EDGE allows you to hear the crack of the bat or the sound of the ball hitting the catcher's mitt as if you were standing next to the batter. Watch some hoops in the arena's nosebleed section but hear the ball swish through the net as if you were one of the players jockeying for position under the basket.

The work has grabbed the attention of the National Basketball Association, United States Tennis Association, Major League Soccer and Fox Sports, including a annual research project at NBA Summer League.

The company is further refining its technology for home users in partnership with Sweetwater, allowing someone watching a movie in their living room to enter into the soundscape of the action they are watching unfold on the screen, creating a far richer experience and transporting the viewer into a virtual world.

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