Home Articles Victorian Technology Profiles Jun/Jul 07

    Victorian Technology Profiles Jun/Jul 07

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    ROTASOLE MARCHES ON

    Rotasole CEO- Brian Goldberg

    In issue 14 we brought you the story of Melbourne sports medic Dr Jack Goldberg and his revolutionary new sports shoe, the Rotasole. With three sporty kids, Dr Goldberg found himself regularly treating knee and ankle sprains suffered on the footy field and netball court. Fed up, he invented a sports shoe with a rotating disc fitted into the sole, allowing the wearer to pivot with less strain on the knee and ankle.

    One year on, Goldberg’s son and Rotasole co-founder, Brian Goldberg, is excited with the company’s progress on the path to the global mass market.

    "We continue to improve and test all aspects of the shoes. We’ve undertaken further biomechanical testing at the University of Wollongong and the results, due in a few months, look very promising. We’ve also had feedback from elite athletes playing tennis, netball, basketball and indoor soccer in our shoes. We’re finding that not only does the shoe relieve strain, it also improves performance by speeding up directional change," says Goldberg.

    True to the original idea of injury prevention, the Goldbergs worked with design engineers to keep production costs low, allowing for mass manufacture.

    "We want to offer the shoe at a reasonable price, so everyone can afford them, not just elite athletes," says Goldberg.

    Recognising there is more to sports shoes than a sophisticated high technology sole, the Goldbergs have teamed up with Australian footwear company Betts to design, manufacture and distribute the Rotasole line. A new range of the latest design is expected in Betts stores around the country in July.

    "Betts have been around for over 100 years. They know what they’re doing in terms of design and marketing. Their staff speak to customers everyday, so they know the current and coming trends," says Goldberg.

    "The initial trial production run was very well received and, once the new range comes out, everyone will get a chance to wear them."

    www.rotasole.com.au

     

    HEAR NO EVIL

    If you’ve ever answered a telephone only to hear the ear-splitting screech of a fax machine, you’ve been the victim of ‘acoustic shock’.

    Not only uncomfortable, an isolated incident like this can have lasting long-term effects. Spare a thought for call centre staff, wearing headsets for long periods of time, who are vulnerable to a variety of unexpected acoustic shrieks, including fax tones, malicious callers screaming or whistle-blowing, faulty phone lines or even callers dropping their handset onto a desktop.

    To protect headset wearers from exposure to loud and high pitched noise, Melbourne-based Polaris Communications designed and patented the Soundshield 3G, a digital acoustic shock protection device using the latest Digital Signal Processing technology.

    "The device is installed between the headset and phone console," says Polaris’ Business Development Manager Anita Bowtell.

    "The shriek protection software can detect and reject up to two simultaneous acoustic shrieks within 16-32 milliseconds, without affecting the conversation. When a shriek comes through, all you hear is a short beep."

    An Australian innovation, developed in a three-year joint effort between Polaris, the National Acoustics Laboratories and Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovations, Soundshield 3G is now ensuring the aural safety of headset wearers worldwide.

    "We’ve got 60,000-plus units deployed in Australia and overseas. Several large corporations like Telstra, ATO, Centrelink and the Queensland Police are using them, as well as emergency services in the UK," she says.

    With a sleek, award-winning design, Soundshield 3G also features volume, tone and mute controls. For training purposes, a supervisor can easily enter and exit a call in progress without interruption.

    The European market looks particularly promising for Soundshield 3G as recent legislation mandates a maximum decibel limit for headset users. Meanwhile, Polaris is also investigating roll-outs to call centre capitals around the world, including the Middle East, Canada and Asia.

    www.polaris.com.au

    HAVE ANY OF THE ARTICLES IN THIS MAGAZINE INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS OR DEVELOP YOUR OWN IDEA INTO A BUSINESS?

    If you are a Victorian resident, we would invite you to visit our website so that you can have access to information and resources to assist you in your journey. Visit www.business.vic.gov.au

    Or visit Innovation @ 257 located at Level 1, 257 Collins Street, Melbourne for an introduction to government resources and programs. Telephone 03 9663 2554

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