E-MIC – much more than just a microphone

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The smart microphone of Accelradio: it can pass calls, commands, connection to networks, switching and relaying, and – it is packaged and designed like an innocent looking microphone.

Policemen and fire fighters are used to carry on their shoulder a microphone, connected to a radio set carried by the officer in his belt. The microphone is the speech instrument. By tactical radio sets tend to suffer from disturbances and disconnections.

The Israeli company ACCELERADIO adds to its products line the E-MIC, a miniature microphone-loudspeaker, looking quite standard, that is intended for use by civilian and military units dealing with emergency events and HLS.

The new equipment is undergoing now PILOT tests at the Fire Brigades organization of the Pentagon and Arlington county, Virginia, and there is demand for additional units.

 Tal Mashraki, one of the founders of ACCELRADIO, explains that E-MIC is in fact a little relay station (DISPATCH). The miniature instrument, in which the smart component weighs only 40 gram, contains an Internet address, is equipped with a network ID, and can produce speech messages and send switching and relaying commands. One of its most advanced capabilities is the possibility to open and close BRIDGES, which are the elements connecting different networks. As customary in ACCELRADIO, the tiny microphone can connect to and work with a variety of radio sets. One of the specialties of ACCELRADIO is development and production of boxes that are connected to existing radio equipment and upgrade its capability, including communications by emergency and rescue units. ACCELRADIO can identify communication disconnections and find an alternative route for transmission of information, since the radio sets suffer from disturbances and disconnections due to topography problems or noises.

Tal Mashraki said that an experiment of equipment took place recently in Metro stations, underground parking lots and complex buildings. The emergency forces in the lower floors the train tunnels were not able to establish communication with their commanders and peers on the ground. ACCELRADIO offered its solution – E-MIC – that functioned extremely well in the depth of the lower floors, with no need for special communication infrastructures.

By: Dan Arlin