Technology & Accessories
29 September 2026
Videoworks and Coton: sound technology enters yacht design
The new collaboration between Videoworks and Coton turns sound into a dynamic element of the on-board experience, combining technology, design and bespoke content
- Sound as part of the design
- Technology and integration on board
- Design, quality and discretion
Videoworks, a global leader in the design and integration of AV/IT, security, automation and entertainment systems for luxury yachting, and Coton, a Japanese sound design company founded in 2019 out of the Tokyo University of the Arts, have unveiled a new collaboration dedicated to integrating sound into yacht design through the Immersive Audio Experience. The solution takes audio beyond mere listening, making it an integral part of the space and of its atmosphere.
The project brings together Videoworks’ expertise in integrating audio and video technology aboard superyachts with Coton’s approach to sound as an integral part of architecture and design. Coton has developed Soundtope, its proprietary technology, which combines human-composed sound beds with algorithms able to adapt them in real time to a constantly changing environment. Soundtope turns input from the surroundings into dynamic sound content, continuously reshaping the acoustic landscape in real time. The same sound bed can therefore generate different variations depending on the context, defining a specific acoustic dimensionfor each space and each design.
Sound as part of the design
With the Immersive Audio Experience, audio is conceived as a design component able to converse with the yacht’s architecture and interiors. The aim is not to draw the guest’s attention, but to contribute discreetly to the perception of space, echoing its character and following its transformations over time. The design process starts from the client’s requirements and from the creative direction of the designers.
Isa45GT – master suite TV audio (Credits Leonardo Andreini)
Starting from keywords, feelings or qualities to be associated with a given space, Coton can develop bespoke content that the system then processes and turns into dynamic variations. Each area of the yacht can therefore develop its own interpretation of the same sound concept, while maintaining overall consistency between the spaces. The approach is similar to the one used in interior design, where continuity is created through materials, shapes and colour palettes.
Technology and integration on board
The technology is designed to work autonomously and dynamically. A dedicated system runs the generative engine developed by Coton, which can process information about the surroundings and the yacht’s position. The inputs it can use include weather conditions and local time, while other data from the on-board systems can help alter the parameters that shape the soundscape in real time. This is where Videoworks comes in: bringing the technology into the yacht’s design and connecting the audio system with the architecture, the interior design and the other technologies on board.
The solution can also be completed with displays, video, lighting and sensors, creating an ecosystem in which different technologies interact to help define the space and the way it is perceived. “Sound can become an extension of the interior design, an element that evolves along with the space and offers a different experience every time,” explains Maurizio Minossi, Co-founder and CEO of Videoworks. “Our task is to integrate this technology into the yacht’s design, working closely with designers and clients and paying particular attention to privacy and to the specific needs of life on board.”
Isa45GT – flybridge with roof speakers (Credits Leonardo Andreini)
Design, quality and discretion
The Immersive Audio Experience offers several ways of integrating sound diffusion systems. Videoworks can choose solutions in which the speakers take on a stronger visual presence, becoming part of the aesthetic expression of the interiors, or more discreet, fully integrated systems designed to keep the hardware in the space to a minimum. Added to these is integration with three-dimensional audio systems, which further widens the options available in terms of both design and perception.
Particular attention is also paid to privacy. To allow the system to detect certain elements of the environment without using cameras in the interior spaces, Videoworks employs LiDAR sensors, which can register the presence and movement of people without capturing biometric information.
“Technology must serve the design and not impose itself on it,” stresses Stefano Fagnani, Sound Designer and Software Developer at Coton. “With Soundtope we work on the ability of sound to evolve and adapt, creating an experience that is not simply played back but generated in relation to its context. That allows us to develop highly customisable solutions that are consistent with the creative vision behind the design.”
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