Is Auracast™ broadcast audio a possibility for Onboard Public Transport Assistive Listening?
Hearing Challenges in Public Transit Environments
In today's fast-paced world, effective communication and good hearing health are essential for advancing connections within communities and beyond, especially in acoustically challenging environments like onboard public transportation, train stations, and airports, which pose particular difficulties for individuals with hearing loss.
Traditional assistive listening system (ALS) technologies provide genuine benefits for individuals with hearing challenges. Among these technologies, hearing loops stand out as an established solution with a history spanning decades. Proved and tested, and supported by an extensive infrastructure within public transportation environments, hearing loops remain the primary technology facilitating direct broadcast audio to a significant portion of hearing aid users with telecoil-enabled devices.
Breaking Barriers with Auracast™ broadcast audio
Auracast™ is a new standard for Bluetooth® Low Energy Audio. It can broadcast audio simultaneously to an unlimited number of Auracast™ compatible devices, including dedicated receivers, hearing aids, earbuds, and smartphones. Auracast™ broadcast audio is a revolutionary advancement poised to transform the landscape of assistive listening, Auracast systems are significantly easier and cost effective to deploy while offering higher audio quality and privacy, improving audio accessibility, and promoting better living through better hearing.
“Overcoming the challenges of traditional ALS technologies using a familiar, proven technology ubiquitous in most consumer audio devices will provide the added benefits of enabling broader deployment and increased availability of ALS for people with hearing loss, while also expanding applicability of these systems to consumers with all levels of hearing health.”
Jon Hoskin, Business Development Manager OEM & Non-Standard Product, Ampetronic
Auri™ - The first Auracast™ broadcast audio assistive listening system in public transportation
Auri™ is the first complete solution to let venues and end users adopt Auracast™ broadcast audio technology now. Auri™ is the product of a collaboration between Listen Technologies and Ampetronic with over 60 years of combined experience specialising in accessible audio.
It is still very early in the adoption cycle for this new technology, with limited end user devices available on the market today. Auri™ includes dedicated Auracast receivers intended to bridge this gap in non-transient assistive listening environments, however with the timescales involved in public transportation projects it is important to define a solution now, such that systems can be designed to accommodate the devices passengers will be using in 5 to 10 years' time.
In order to drive the development of Auri™ for public transportation a robust specification for the requirements of a system must be created, these must take into account the environments into which the technology will be integrated.
For example, requirements for electrical safety and immunity, vibration, fire safety on board rail rolling stock, UNECE R10 requirements for road vehicles. Further to this Auri™ has the capability to send data alongside audio, this gives potential to use a single transmitter to send textual information to an app on a passenger’s mobile device, as well as streaming audible announcements directly to their earbuds or hearing aids.
To ensure the system for transportation is fit for purpose and meets the ever-evolving demands of the market pilot studies, trial installations and work with transport focussed focus groups must be performed.
Ampetronic is currently performing a number of pilot studies on various forms of transportation with our assistive listening technology, but in order to ensure the Auri™ system is successfully deployed in your transportation more studies and feedback must be gathered.
Join us in shaping the future of transportation accessibility!
Your feedback is crucial in ensuring the successful deployment of the Auri™ system. Participate in our pilot studies and share your valuable insights to help us enhance assistive listening technology in transportation. Together, let's make transportation more inclusive for all!
