PepsiCo’s Doritos brand creates technology to ‘silence’ its crunch

While PepsiCo’s Doritos chips are popular with gamers, the loud crunch they make has long been a source of frustration.

The beverage and snacking giant estimated that 85% percent of U.S. gamers have consumed Doritos in the past three months. But at the same time, nearly a third of individuals reported that other people’s crunching distracts them from playing well and impacts their performance.

To “help gamers keep the crunch to themselves,” Doritos is debuting what it calls “Doritos Silent.” Gamers download Doritos Crunch Cancellation software and when the technology is turned on, the software detects the crunching sounds and silences it while keeping the gamer’s voice intact.

The software, which took six months to develop, used artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze more than 5,000 different crunch sounds.

While much of PepsiCo’s focus is on creating snacks or beverages that resonate with fickle consumers, Doritos Silent serves to make consuming the chip and gaming more enjoyable. The hope for Doritos and PepsiCo, of course, is to remove a major source of frustration, making the chip a more attractive snacking option.

At the same time, it keeps the crunch for the person eating Doritos, which according to PepsiCo, is a major reason people enjoy it in the first place.

Food Dive