Hearing technology company Sensear Pty Ltd has won the Medical & Scientific category of the prestigious Australian International Design Awards announced last Friday in Sydney.
The company has developed the world’s first electronic ear plug for safety which minimises dangerous industrial noise but allows face to face, mobile phone and two-way radio communication.
The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, attracted entries from Australia and overseas. There were 61 finalists.
Sensear’s innovative product was also recognised as one of the five best in the competition.
As well, Sensear’s electronic ear plug won the competition’s Powerhouse Museum Design Award.
This award, introduced by the Powerhouse Museum in 2007, is given to a product that has potential to make a significant improvement to the quality of health, wellbeing or the environment. It recognises the important role for design in harnessing the challenges of science and technology to make a positive impact on our lives.
“The SP1x electronic earplug represents excellence in product design, software and electronics
design based on innovative Australian research. It demonstrates the potential for design to make a
real positive difference,” said Angelique Hutchison, Curator of Product Design at the Powerhouse
Museum.
The Australian International Design Awards adds to a growing list of awards picked up by the
company.
This year, Sensear has won the the Medical and Healthcare category of the 2008 DuPont Innovation Awards, the 2008 Best Newcomer Safety in Action Award in Melbourne and the 2008 Western Australian Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards (WAITTA) Innovation category.
According to Sensear Managing Director Justin Miller, the electronic ear plug has the potential to
dramatically reduce the incidence of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in the workplace.
“It takes only two minutes exposure to very loud noise before permanent hearing damage takes place
“These awards recognise that our technology can provide a safer environment for people working in high noise industries” he said.
Mr Miller said that NIHL was a major health and safety issue in our workplaces particularly for people working in transport, construction, manufacturing and mining industries. “Previously people working in noisy environments could wear hearing protection but they could not effectively communicate with each other.
Sensear Pty Ltd has sold its revolutionary electronic ear plug to more than 50 companies in Australia, the
USA, Europe, China and the UK since entering the market place in March.
For more information please contact:
Justin Miller
Managing Director
Sensear Pty Ltd
Phone: 6488 8120
Greg Beale
Vice President Sales and Marketing
Phone: 03 9935 2781
About Sensear
Founded in 2006 in Perth, Sensear Pty Ltd also has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Los Angeles.
Its world first technology is based on sophisticated algorithms which suppress industrial and other very loud noise to a safe level but allow speech to remain clear and audible.
Sensear has incorporated the technology into the world’s first electronic ear plug enabling face to face, mobile phone and two-way radio communication. An ear muff version will be available soon.
This has the potential to dramatically reduce the in cidence of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in the work place. NIHL is the world’s most common and costly workplace illness. It cannot be reversed but it can be prevented. Most commonly caused by industrial noise, NIHL can occur alsoas a result of exposure to loud noise in pubs, nightclubs, concerts and major events
Award winning innovation
- Winner Medical and Healthcare category of the 2008 DuPont Innovation Awards.
- Winner 2008 Best Newcomer Safety in Action Award.
- Winner 2008 Western Australian Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards
(WAITTA) Innovation category. - Winner 2007 Australian Information Industry Award Healthcare category
- Winner 2007 Australian Information Industry Award Research and Development Category
