Crystal-Clear
Communication a Sweet-Sounding Success
Consumer/Home/Recreation
Originating Technology/ NASA Contribution
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind.”
On July 20, 1969, millions were glued to their television
sets when NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong offered these
famous words via live broadcast, upon becoming the
first man to ever step foot on the Moon.
This historic transmission was delivered from Armstrong’s
headset to the headsets of Mission Control personnel
at NASA, and then on to the world. To ensure that
this message was delivered loud and clear to all,
NASA collaborated with private industry to deliver
the best headset-communication technology possible.
Today, the heart of this technology beats in a high-end
line of lightweight and wireless solutions for homes,
offices, contact centers, and dispatch centers.
Partnership
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, most commercial
and military pilots were employing communications
headsets that proved to be clunky and cumbersome.
A number of these pilots changed to hand-held microphones
in place of the uncomfortable headsets; but as high-performance
jet planes evolved, the headset became essential
as a
safety feature.
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A U.S. Marine helicopter
lifts astronaut Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom to
safety, following splashdown of the Liberty Bell
7. The spacecraft had just sunk below the water. |
In a move to make pilot headsets more uniform and
comfortable, United Airlines put out an open solicitation
in 1961, inviting anyone who was interested to tender
their ideas for an improved design. Courtney Graham,
a United Airline pilot, was one of the many who thought
the heavy headsets should be replaced by something
lighter. Graham was interested in submitting a new
design concept to United Airlines, so he recruited
a friend named Keith Larkin to be his business partner.
Larkin had been working for a small company called
Plane- Aids, importing
spectacles and sunglasses that contained tiny transistor
radios from Japan.
Their original design was inspired by these radio-equipped
glasses. They submitted this concept to United Airlines
for review, though they quickly learned that it would
not be feasible for use, as not all pilots wore glasses
or preferred wearing sunglasses while flying. Consequently,
Graham and Larkin came to find that a headset using
a lightweight headband would be more practical. For
the communication aspect of the headband, Larkin
added an acoustic tube to two very small transducers
commonly used in hearing aids, for use as both a
microphone and a receiver.
United Airlines accepted this headband design, which
immediately evolved into the MS-50 headset. Graham
and Larkin’s successful solution motivated them to
start a company of their own, Pacific Plantronics,
Inc. (now called Plantronics,
Inc.).
In 1962, the newly formed, Santa Cruz, California-based
company introduced the MS-50 to the aviation industry
as the world’s first lightweight headset. United
Airlines started ordering the new headsets for its
pilots shortly thereafter, and the Federal Aviation
Administration adopted a modified version for air
traffic control; United Airlines is still using the
MS-50 today.
Graham and Larkin soon found out that it was not
just the aviation industry that was experiencing
problems with the uncomfortable headsets of the time—astronauts,
telephone operators, and call centers, too, had similar
issues.
NASA was looking to outfit its astronauts with a
lightweight, self-contained radio after it had lost
contact during a dire situation. Lieutenant Colonel
Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom was the command pilot of
1961’s Liberty Bell 7 (Mercury-Redstone 4) mission,
America’s second manned space flight. Following the
space mission, the Liberty Bell 7 capsule had a successful
reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and experienced a
relatively mild impact when it landed in the Atlantic
Ocean.
The capsule righted itself after splashdown and all
seemed well, but minutes later, while Grissom was
preparing for rescue by a helicopter scheduled to
retrieve him and the capsule, its explosive hatch
blew prematurely, causing water to gush in and flood
the cabin.
According to the pre-established plan, the explosive
hatch was not to be blown until the capsule had been
lifted clear from the water. Because the hatch blew
too early, Grissom was forced to exit the flooding
Liberty Bell 7, thereby abandoning all of the spacecraft’s
radio communications equipment, and since the helmets
of astronauts were not equipped with radio communications
in the early days of space flight, he was unable
to make contact with his recovery team.
Grissom was able to free himself and get the visual
attention of the helicopter circling above for safe
rescue, though the recovery team had no choice but
to part with the spacecraft, due to the added weight
of the water that had flooded it.
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Plantronics, Inc.’s
CA10CD cordless push-to-talk headset and amplifier
gives call center agents and other business professionals
room to roam. |
NASA did not want to risk losing radio contact with
an astronaut again, so it contracted with ITT Labs,
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to develop a self-contained
radio system. ITT Labs delivered to NASA a radio
transceiver called a Kellorad unit, which happened
to feature Pacific Plantronics’s MS-50 headset.
When NASA astronaut Walter “Wally” Schirra first
saw the lightweight headset component of the Kellorad
unit, his interest—and curiosity—peaked. He contacted
Pacific Plantronics and asked the company whether
the MS-50 receiver could be implanted directly in
his astronaut helmet. Pacific Plantronics was confident
that it could satisfy Schirra’s request, so NASA
awarded the company a contract to do so.
Pacific Plantronics assembled its Space Environmental
Communications (SPENCOM) division to begin working
on a reliable solution. SPENCOM personnel traveled
to NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space
Center) and Kennedy Space Center to meet with and
get design feedback from Schirra and several other
astronauts, including Gordon Cooper. (Schirra and
Cooper were two of the seven original NASA astronauts.)
Based on the feedback provided, Plantronics and NASA
decided to focus on a noise-canceling microphone
that used dual, miniature transducers. A helmet receiver
using the miniature transducers was also developed.
The SPENCOM group worked in conjunction with Manned
Spacecraft Center engineers to design and implement
the new noise-canceling microphone and receiver.
SPENCOM and NASA had a working microphone design
with the correct impedance needed for space communications
within 11 days, and Schirra was the first to use
the new communication technology during the Sigma
7 (Mercury-Atlas 8) mission.
Unfortunately, ground control lost contact with
Schirra for approximately 7 critical seconds during
the “Max Q” phase of liftoff, when the most noise
was introduced into the capsule, because aerodynamic
pressure was at its highest. Changes had
to be made to compensate for this noise level, so
the design team added a dual-tube, noise-canceling
device to the microphone. The transmission using
the new noise-canceling technique provided greatly
improved communication.
The improved unit was developed for the Faith 7 (Mercury-Atlas
8) mission, the follow-up mission to Sigma 7, commanded
by Cooper, and continued to be
successfully used through the Gemini, Apollo, and
Skylab missions.
Pacific Plantronics gained increasing recognition
as a result of participating with the Space Program,
as the advancements made for astronaut communication
flourished in other markets. By year 6 of operation,
the company’s sales reached $5.4 million, with 100,000
headsets in use. The Plantronics of today credits
its collaboration with NASA and NASA’s use of the
jointly developed microphone technology for this
instant market credibility.
Product Outcome
Plantronics’s entire line of communications headsets
and telephony solutions leverages the company’s expertise
in mission-critical headset design and development
for NASA. Its CA10CD cordless push-to-talk headset
and amplifier serve as the perfect solution for contact
centers, extending cordless mobility to the entire
line of Plantronics professional headsets. Recognized
as a Certified Space Technology by the U.S. Space
Foundation, the CA10CD offers hands-free operation
for up to 150 feet away from the base unit, dual
volume control for optimum sound and clarity, remote-call
answering, and a rechargeable battery that allows
8 hours of continuous talk time. Whether it is picking
up the latest fax across the hall or checking reference
materials on the other side of the building for a
customer, the CA10CD gives call center agents and
other business professionals room to roam.
The CA10CD also made its way into radio dispatch
centers at police, fire, taxi cab, waste management,
and utility company facilities. Additionally, NASA
uses this product in a variety of applications, including
refueling, field testing, and vehicle-assembly and
range-management operations.
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The GameCom
Halo 2 Edition Xbox headset combines an innovative
design with advanced microphone technology, resulting
in a stable, great-sounding headset. The in-the-ear
wearing style provides optimal fit and boom placement,
which lets users hear and be heard clearly, even
in the loudest game environments. |
In the office setting, the Plantronics CS50 Wireless
Headset System enables a hands-free workstyle that
suits the needs of today’s busy professionals,
enhancing their freedom and efficiency. The sleek,
self-contained wireless CS50 addresses the number
one product concern of business professionals who
have chosen not to use a tethered headset: they do
not want to be tied to their desks or have a wire
in the way (based on a Plantronics study). With the
CS50, office professionals can communicate up to
300 feet away from their desk phone, for up to 8
hours. The lightweight headset also uses built-in
digital encryption so conversations are secure.
The CS50’s wireless mobility also gives businesses
an important competitive advantage. Most workspace
is unoccupied for
60 percent of the workday, and every day more than
70 percent of business calls are missed (UNWIRED,
2003). This means that valuable time is lost exchanging
voicemails. The CS50 effectively reduces phone
tag, letting users not only roam hundreds of feet
from their desks, but, with the addition of the
optional HL10 handset lifter, answer and end calls
remotely. Since the CS50 is as intuitive and easy
to use as answering the phone, the learning curve
is minimal.
“In a fast-paced, people-powered business like
ours, the phone is a powerful and indispensable
tool. The CS50 has greatly improved my department’s
accessibility and productivity,” said Adam Keen,
vice president of special projects for MGM and
United Artists. “The CS50’s combination of mobility
and comfort enables us to multitask much more effectively.
Also, unanswered calls are now a rarity, which
means there’s less chance we’ll miss out on something
important.”
CS50 users can satisfy their individual style and
comfort preferences and gain additional convenience
and functionality with optional accessories. Beyond
the HL10 handset lifter that provides one-touch
call answer/end, there is a behind-the-head neckband,
which provides another style option for personal
comfort, and a wall- or desk-mountable in-use indicator
that lets others know a user is on a call.
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The
lightweight and versatile Plantronics Voyager
Bluetooth headset lets business professionals
go wherever their conversations take them.
It delivers all-day wearing comfort, clear
voice transmission, and superior sound quality,
all in an easy-folding design that slips
into a pocket or purse for quick storage.
With up to 6 hours of talk time, users can
roam up to 33 feet from their Bluetooth devices.
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On the home-consumer front, Plantronics technology
is enhancing the overall experience for video game
enthusiasts. In August 2004, the company announced
that it had shipped more than 1 million headsets
to the Microsoft Corporation for the Xbox Live
online service, which lets Xbox video game console
owners around the world
communicate with and play against each other, 24
hours a day. Equipped with noise-canceling microphones
and a swiveling boom, the Plantronics headset delivers
superior audio so that gamers can take advantage
of multiplayer, voice-enabled games by strategizing
with teammates or taunting opponents. The headset
also features a compact Flex-Grip in-the-ear design
for comfort during extended play. Plantronics offers
similar headsets for personal computer gaming.
“We
see tremendous opportunity in the gaming market and
believe that the popularity of the Xbox Live headset
is just one indicator of how successful we can be
in growing our leadership position,” said Matt Miller,
director of Plantronics product marketing. “With
the combination of increased adoption of online gaming
through services like Xbox Live and our headset’s
crystal-clear audio, we’re able to deliver the most
intense gaming experience possible.”
At the 2005 International Consumer Electronics
Show, the largest consumer technology show in the
world, Plantronics was the only headset maker to
win a “Best of Innovations” award. The company
was recognized for innovation in design and technological
advances for its new Voyager L510S Bluetooth headset
system. (Bluetooth is a standard developed by electronics
manufacturers that allows any sort of electronic
equipment—from computers and cell phones to keyboards
and headphones—to make its own connections, without
wires, cables, or any direct action from
a user.)
The
Voyager L510S multipoint system can simplify communication
for a wireless headset,
creating seamless switches
between landline office
phones and voice-enabled
Bluetooth mobile phones,
laptops, and personal
digital assistants. At
approximately half an
ounce in weight, it began
shipping in spring 2005.
In July, Plantronics introduced the Pulsar 590,
a Bluetooth stereo headset that lets users listen
wirelessly to music and movies with excellent audio
quality and switch seamlessly to mobile phone calls
with the single touch of a button. The Pulsar 590
expands Plantronics’s family of award-winning Bluetooth
products to provide consumers with a broad range
of headsets to meet individual lifestyles.
Xbox® is a registered trademark
of Microsoft Corporation.
Xbox Live™ and GameCom™ are trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
Flex-Grip® is a registered trademark of Plantronics,
Inc.
Voyager™ and Pulsar™ are trademarks of Plantronics,
Inc.
Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth
SIG, Inc.
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