Boston Startup Acquires Bose’s Motion Control Business

ClearMotion Inc. has acquired Bose Corp.’s Ride business, including the Project Sound active suspension technology that has been under development for more than 30 years.

Formed in 2008 by a trio of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students, ClearMotion has more than 300 patents related to active motion control systems. The company (formerly Levant Power) is developing what it describes as the world’s first “proactive” ride system.

ClearMotion plans to adapt Bose’s electromagnet technology to an electrohydraulic system to quickly change a vehicle’s suspension settings at each wheel as road conditions change. The technology is said to be much faster than fluid-based dampers. But concerns over cost, size, complexity and weight have thus far derailed commercial applications, media reports note.

In addition to the Project Sound technology, ClearMotion bought the Ride seat suspension system Bose developed for heavy-duty trucks. The deal also included other unspecified predictive road-sensing systems. ClearMotion aims to implement the technologies across a range of vehicles, including semi-autonomous models and on- and off-road trucks.