What’s the buzz about feedback you can feel? Three ways PUI’s new haptics can improve accessibility in medical and industrial settings

Haptics are buzzing at PUI Audio as we are heading into 2023 thinking of audio as a full sensory experience. 

Last year, PUI introduced a new line of products, focused on the tactile experience. The new haptics products provide feedback you can feel using the same electromagnetic principles as a speaker – but instead of a paper cone moving air, a moving mass is used to deliver vibrations.

Our haptics products are working to make the world a safer, healthier and more accessible place. 

How? 

In medical and industrial settings, the ability to feel an important alert is sometimes just as important as hearing one. And when we think of our hearing impaired end users, the ability to feel an alert is even more important. 

Haptics help in a crowded medical alert environment.

When multiple notifications—or alerts–are alarming at once, it can be difficult to hear or discern when an alarm is ringing, and then to hear quickly which alarm is ringing. The added practical applications of haptics in a medical setting ensure that alerts are felt and information is deciphered quickly.

Additionally, when commands are input, the addition of haptics, and tactile feedback, make it easy to confirm when the right buttons have been pressed or data input into a system. The additional feel of confirmations (or rejections) through haptics, provide an added layer of support to health care workers who are having to untangle many messages at once. 

Utilizing multiple senses helps messages be delivered. 

The human body’s five senses are the pathways through which we experience the world around us. It is exceedingly rare that any of these senses are experienced in isolation; often, two or more of our senses receive information simultaneously. Traditionally, many products use two of the five senses to deliver information to a user–sight and hearing. The same strategy applies to haptics, which add a tactile notification in addition to audible or visual cues. 

Think about settings in which you push a button and see a light light up, or a beep to confirm. These alerts are enhanced with you also feel the confirmation, with a vibration, indicating to your brain the the process was successful. 

Safety messages are heard–and felt–quickly and directly.

In an industrial environment, operators rely on this tactile feedback to prevent accidents, ensure safety and confirm successful processes. 

Think of a forklift operator, who is using their visual sense to pay keen attention to the task in front of (and behind them). The operator relies on memory, or tactile feedback, to ensure things they cannot look at are successfully changed or implemented, like buttons being pressed. 

The same can be true of those working on a production line, or operating heavy machinery. Often, visual senses must be activated to look in or at a certain focal point, leaving the operations exposed to trusting that other supplementary processes are functioning, confirmed, or—in the case of a safety issue, that the operator is alerted in a way that doesn’t detract from other key functions, where eyes and ears are needed. 

Haptics have many applications. Medical and industrial settings are just a couple of examples of how implementation of tactile feedback can help keep critical operations safe. The addition of tactile feedback provides more than accessibility, vibrations ensure messages are relayed in multi-sensory ways that keep operations efficient, medical settings moving and industrial settings safe. 

Learn more about what PUI is doing with haptics in our resource center. 

What’s changing about requirements for audio components in a medical setting?

When it needs to be heard in a medical setting, it needs to be clear, concise and easy to determine what sounds are indicating to providers and patients. Especially when multiple devices are sending out codes at the same time, the difference between a legible and illegible sound can mean the difference between patients getting the treatment and care they need or missing out–and sometimes, even life or death. 

With the increased use of medical electronics in medicine today, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) developed the IEC 60601-1-8 standard to regulate alarm signals to prevent confusion, when several instruments are sounding at the sametime in the same room.

While the IEC 60601-1-8 standard covers every aspect of the alarm signals and should be referred to as the ultimate reference with regards to the specific tones to use in your device, there are three main requirements that pertain to speaker selection:

• A pulsed frequency between 150 Hz and 1 kHz
• At a minimum of four harmonics of the pulsed frequency between 300 Hz and 4 kHz
• The sound pressure level (SPL) of the harmonics must be within ±15 dB of the pulsed frequency

Additional pulse requirements—such as pulse duration, rise time, and fall time—are also part of this standard, but pertain more to the input signal sent to the speaker.

PUI Audio has developed a resource for engineers to help determine what products will aid in meeting the guidelines and adding clarity to the patient experience. 

From our testing, we can deduce the characteristics of a speaker that makes it an ideal  candidate to use within a Medical Device that needs to meet the criteria set forth by IEC 60601-1-8.

We’ve also included Steps to selecting the ideal speaker for your application and Speaker Integration Best Practices and Recommended Speakers.

You can download the whitepaper for free and read it here.

Our engineering team is eager to work on developing new solutions and continuing to push the envelope. Curious to learn more? Ready to kick off a brainstorming session about your audio needs in the manufacturing industry? Reach out! Ask an engineer or chat with us. We are here to help.  

Five uses for audio components in a medical setting

While it might not be on your mind the next time you find yourself in a medical setting, you can be assured that audio engineers, facilities managers and patient experience directors are putting a great deal of thought into how audio components are enhancing, regulating and simplifying the experience in a medical setting. Audio can power the patient experience, ensuring vital information is communicated and understood, expediting needs and keeping the focus on patient care.

Here are just five ways that audio components can enhance the patient experience in a medical setting, but we guarantee once you read through these, you’ll probably think of–or hear–countless others the next time you find yourself in a position to observe. 

1. Vital Signs Monitoring: 

Whether it is life-saving equipment or experience-enhancing entertainment, the patient room is dependent on technology that enhances the experience.

When patient vital signs are monitored, sounds alert medical professionals when diagnostics are off track.

2. Diagnostic Imaging:

Diagnostic imaging is supported by sounds that give patients and providers comfort and accurate readings.

Audio alerts throughout diagnostic imaging alert providers to precise patient positioning and accurate readings, giving technicians the information they need to effectively complete imaging requests and relay accurate diagnoses.  

3. Patient Entertainment:

Patient entertainment keeps patients comfortable and happy, easing worry and creating pleasant environments. 

Audio plays a crucial role in the patient experience through entertainment options in patient rooms. Entertainment provides access to efficient processes, such as ordering food and alerting staff of concerns, as well as comfortable viewing of things like television and listening to music, which can ease patients into a more relaxed and comfortable state during stays. 

Outside the patient room, sounds can help those less experienced than medical professionals with medical needs when life-saving measures are needed or diagnostic information is crucial. 

4. Defibrillator

Alert sounds on a defibrillator are crucial in helping save lives. Sounds can help guide live-saving processes and bring back or regulate patients in emergency situations. Until someone is in a high-energy emergency situation, they don’t often realize how comforting and necessary the sounds on emergency devices can be in helping to alert people of proper usage in life-saving situations. 

5. Glucose Monitor

Small but mighty sounds on a glucose monitor help at-home patients determine if they’ve properly administered testing procedures, ensuring a timely and accurate result. Sounds alert people to processes they aren’t used to administering and ensure they are completed properly when testing at home. 

These are just five of the ways the medical industry is turning to audio component manufacturers for audio solutions in a medical setting. Whether it is for hospital rooms, doctors’ offices, outpatient centers or the operating room, sound plays a vital role in the experience. 

Learn more about our work in the medical sector here. 

PUI Audio works with leadership at medical institutions to find–and build!–solutions that make sure that when it needs to be heard. Our engineering team is eager to work on developing new solutions and continuing to push the envelope. Curious to learn more? Ready to kick off a brainstorming session about your audio needs in the manufacturing industry? Reach out! Ask an engineer or chat with us. We are here to help. 

PUI Audio Welcomes European Sales Representative Firm

Dayton, OH, USA – PUI Audio is pleased to announce the addition of EuroSemi to their growing list of sales representatives. EuroSemi is a manufacturer’s representative company operating within Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and currently work with several global manufacturers of high-quality electrical components.

PUI Audio selected EuroSemi to join their global sales network and have utilized this sales model successfully in Canada and the United States. The sales representatives act as an extension of the PUI Audio team, and work with direct customers to source the best audio and haptic components for their application.

Brian Coleman, Vice President of Sales, believes that the addition of EuroSemi to the organization is a key element for growth in 2023. “Our goal will forever be to provide our customers access to the knowledge that supports their design efforts, wherever they may be located.” he said. “We are making a concentrated effort to continue to innovate ways to connect with our customers globally and give them the peace of mind they need to get their products right, the first time. We are looking forward to working with EuroSemi and reach design engineers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

PUI Audio is the first audio and haptic components supplier to be represented by EuroSemi.

Ewald Sutor, founder and owner of EuroSemi, says “we are proud to be chosen by PUI Audio with the goals of supporting customers in Central Europe (D A CH) and ensuring the growth of customers with the unique products of PUI Audio. Our common goal is to generate demand for outstanding products in a fast-growing market. We will work as the extended sales force of PUI Audio in our territory, giving the best support possible to our customers.”

Further information as well as contact details can be found on the websites for both companies.

PUI Audio, Inc. is a Dayton-based audio and haptic component manufacturer. Founded in 1972, the company has built a strong reputation for its creative solutions and engineering expertise, helping clients in medical, industrial, security and consumer markets to, “Be heard!” no matter what the need.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Erin Ruef

Vice President of Marketing

ruef@puiaudio.com

937-475-4799

PUI Audio Welcomes First European Sales Representative Firm

Dayton, OH, USA – PUI Audio is pleased to announce the addition of Reptronics to their growing list of sales representatives. Reptronics is a manufacturer’s representative company operating within the United Kingdom and Ireland, and currently work with several global manufacturers of high-quality electrical components.

PUI Audio selected Reptronics to join their global sales network and have utilized this sales model successfully in Canada and the United States. The sales representatives act as an extension of the PUI Audio team, and work with direct customers to source the best audio and haptic components for their application.

Brian Coleman, Vice President of Sales, believes that the addition of Reptronics to the organization is a key element for growth in 2023. “Our goal will forever be to provide our customers access to the knowledge that supports their design efforts, wherever they may be located.” he said. “We are making a concentrated effort to continue to innovate ways to connect with our customers globally and give them the peace of mind they need to get their products right, the first time. We are looking forward to working with Reptronics and reach design engineers in the UK and Ireland.”

PUI Audio is the first audio and haptic components supplier to be represented by Reptronics.

Jeremy Biggs, MD at Reptronics Ltd says “we are very honored to have been selected to help PUI Audio develop further their market in the UK and Ireland. We are very excited to be working with them to support their existing clients as well as having the opportunity to introduce their innovative product solutions to other potential users.”

Further information as well as contact details can be found on the websites for both companies.

PUI Audio, Inc. is a Dayton-based audio and haptic component manufacturer. Founded in 1972, the company has built a strong reputation for its creative solutions and engineering expertise, helping clients in medical, industrial, security and consumer markets to, “Be heard!” no matter what the need.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Erin Ruef

Vice President of Marketing

ruef@puiaudio.com

937-475-4799

PUI Audio: Ready for the Future

All this year, we’ve been celebrating PUI Audio’s 50th Anniversary. We’ve worked to fulfill our mission to lead the industry in global innovation by listening to our customers and partners about what they need to push the industry forward. 

Earlier this year, we moved into our new office, where we have doubled down on collaboration and innovation. We’ve improved our processes and systems, invited our customers and sales reps into the conversation and truly opened our doors–and ears–to listen to what you’ve had to say. 

We’ve taken what you had to say, and we are carrying it with us to make our 51st year the best one yet. 

We are continuing to invest in our digital experiences to make the job of the engineer even easier by providing tools and resources that support the way they’ve told us they prefer to work. 

We are introducing new products and lines, including our new haptics products, which move PUI Audio into a full sensory experience. 

We became the first audio supplier in our industry to partner with SnapEDA for an intuitive, digital product viewer experience. 

We added NPI such as Bone Conduction MEMS Microphones and Low Current Magnetic Transducers.

As we move toward an even stronger 2023, we are committed to investments that spark creativity and innovation for our customers. We’ve made it even easier to brainstorm with our engineers, solve problems and develop creative solutions that lead to new ideas and products. 

We are investing in education for the next generation of audio and micro engineers, so that these young innovators have access to the tools and support they need to keep coming up with new ideas and fan the passion of the future. 

And more so now than ever, we are widening our communications channels, making it even easier for you to not just get a hold of us, but work and collaborate with our team on your ideas. 

Committing to innovation doesn’t just mean coming up with new ideas and hoping they work. We are pushing the industry forward by truly immersing ourselves in the industry we serve, linking arms and marching forward into a new and exciting tomorrow. We’ve been thrilled to celebrate 50 years, but we are even more excited about 51–and beyond.

Innovation Over 50 Years: Focus on 2010s

Innovation Over Fifty Years: Focus on 2000s

Starting in 2003, PUI Audio embarked on a series of innovations that focused on transducers and audio applications. It was in 2003 that the smallest surface mount transducers in the world were launched by PUI Audio, measuring 5x5x2mm.

In 2004, a Mil-Spec spray coating was offered for the paper cone of speakers and production was diversified to locations all across Asia.

In 2005, PUI Audio developed a transducer able to handle reflow at 260 degrees Celsius for 6- seconds.

In 2006, PUI supplied parts for the Apple iPod and in 2007, released the industry’s first side firing washable transducer.

The company’s name was also changed from PUI Audio Products Division to PUI Audio.

The decade’s innovation rounded out with the surface mount speaker being released.

Stay tuned to next week’s post to see what was accomplished in the 2010s.

Innovation Over 50 Years: Focus on 1980s/1990s

As we celebrate our 50 years in business, we are highlighting our key innovations per decade in five blog posts, with this second post featuring innovations in the 1980s-90s.

From 1980-1985, the first washable Transducer was introduced, and the company began to offer over 95 products.

The impact of globalization occurred as well, with production moving from Japan to Taiwan in 1986.

Other highlights that occurred during the 1990s included:

• Earning ISO-9001 Certificate
• Developed a line of SMT Alarms and Alerts
• Introduce electret microphones and a full line of receivers

Stay tuned to next week’s post to see what was accomplished in the 2000s.

Innovation Over 50 Years: Focus on the 1970s

It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since we opened our doors – but since then we have aimed to be the global leader of innovative audio solutions.

As we celebrate our 50 years in business, we are highlighting our key innovations per decade in five blog posts, starting with the 1970s.

In 1972, Projects Unlimited founded the Audio Products Division and quickly purchased the first electrical buzzers (GA 100) for telephone test sets from Roschi Electronic AG in Switzerland. More innovation in buzzer and indicators followed during the 1970s:

• 1973: First PCB mounted Buzzer offered
• 1975: First low frequency panel mounted Indicator offered
• 1976: First PCB mounted Piezo Indicator
• 1978: First externally driven Transducer

We are proud of these early innovations and look forward to sharing more with you.