The University of Hawaii’s Translational Health Science Simulation Center (THSSC) is a specialised facilied that presents its students with real-life simulations of scenarios they will meet in the field. Aiding its instructors is a newtork of more than 100 Tannoy CMS 801DC in-ceiling loudspeakers have been installed throughout the facility.
‘They’re everywhere – hallways, the lobby, the exam rooms, in three conference rooms equipped with video/teleconferencing systems and in the main simulation area, the Multimedia Room…’ says says Alex Donkle, of DL Adams Associates, the firm responsible for designing centre’s A/V and control systems.
One of the most important functions the audio system serves is to provide students and instructors with a means to interact effectively during simulations. ‘THSSC has a variety of mock exam and surgery rooms where students get feedback from the instructors while interacting with their ‘patients’; intelligent mannequins the instructors control,’ Donkle explains. ‘There are speakers, microphones and cameras in the rooms so the instructors can monitor student’s work and so the students and instructors can communicate with each other.’
The system also allows instructors to film and record student interactions for subsequent analysis. Additionally, it features a series of Crestron touchpanels for users to control various parameters such as signal routing, and small speakers mounted in the mouths of the intelligent mannequins to provide additional realism.
The choice of the CMS Series – premium range of full-bandwidth high-power ceiling-mounted loudspeakers – was based on DL Adams’ previous experience with Tannoy: ‘Basically, they provided the easiest way for us to supply a high-quality experience and realistic sound for all of these uses.’
That’s particularly important in the Multimedia Room, which is also equipped with two Tannoy CMS 110TB subs and boasts a sophisticated A/V system designed to recreate the experience of responding to a given patient’s needs in a variety of locations and situations as realistically as possible.
‘Having uniform, high-quality sound and no hotspots was very important. We found that the Tannoy provided the most even spread and uniform sound quality,’ Donkle explains. ‘When students are moving around they’re not walking in and out of the sweet spot constantly as they would with some other speakers. Tannoy are just very consistent in these types of spaces.’
Founded in 1979, DL Adams Associates is a multi-disciplined engineering firm that provides consulting and design services in acoustics, performing arts, presentation and information technology and telecommunications systems.
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