High-noise communication devices win prestigious award

A project developed at The University of Western Australia (UWA) has won spin-out company Sensear the prestigious Frost & Sullivan 2012 Product Differentiation Excellence Award for its ‘high-noise communication’ devices, including earplugs and earmuffs for industrial settings.

By leveraging its SENS (speech enhancement, noise suppression) technology in its products, Sensear has developed noise protection devices that accentuate speech clarity while diminishing the hazardous noise in the environment. The SENS technology protects the hearing of end users by maintaining the sound output at 82 dB (in the ear). This allows end users to communicate with each other in a high-noise environment in a face-to-face format over both short and long distances. It also carries the capacity to upload software and enable two-way radio and wireless Bluetooth communication.

“Essentially, Sensear devices offer comprehensive situational awareness, which ensures that the end user is entirely cognisant of events in the surrounding environment, thus saving him or her from probable accidents,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Anita Pamu. “Sensear calls this ‘360-degree binaural situational awareness’, and no other company offers these attributes in a single product.”

Another benefit offered by Sensear’s technology is the ability to customise the hearing protection and communication devices according to the specific requirements of its customers. The company can upload and download software into its earplugs and earmuffs per customer needs.

Based on these factors, Frost & Sullivan has presented Sensear with the 2012 Product Differentiation Excellence Award in the North American PPE market. Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards are assessed by industry analysts and recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as technological innovation in the personal protective equipment (PPE) market. The Product Differentiation Excellence Award is presented to the company that has developed a product with unique features/functionality as well as high quality for customers with complex needs.

The award adds to the company’s growing list of accolades since it was formed in 2006, including the Dupont Innovation Award and Australian Design Award, both in 2008.

The formation of the company was coordinated through the UWA Office of Industry & Innovation and its patented technology derives from research carried out by UWA and Curtin University joint venture, the West Australian Telecommunication Research Institute.

“We are extremely pleased by the successes of Sensear in making a global impact in the use of its technology and we wish them many more awards and successes into the future,” Director of the UWA Office of Industry & Innovation Dr Andy Sierakowski said.