- Laws and Regulations
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published this year ‘The Noise Act Circular 2004’ which was adopted from ‘The Noise Act 1996’ to give local authorities the power to issue fixed penalty notices for noise offences [3].
When it comes to noises in the workplace, the government introduced a noise regulation in 1989 which states that employers must reduce the risk of hearing damage to the lowest level reasonably practicable and maintain all equipment [4].
In the light of these laws and regulations, the silence machine does not break legislative boundaries. Furthermore, it will help general public to meet those regulations by guaranteeing a noise free preferable atmosphere.
- Safety implications
- Impact upon the environment
II.2 Market attractiveness
2.1 Size and dynamics of the potential market
There are four potential niche markets where the silence machine can be targeted.
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Industrial market: Large number of employees in industries such as mining, railway, heavy engineering and steel production, etc is exposed to excessive level of noise. Last year, the UK protective clothing and equipment market worth £766.2m [6]. So there is potentially a big demand for the technology in this market.
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Transport and Social market: Railway, aircraft and road traffic noises represent a potential market in transport applications. Neighbourhood noise as the root of most of complaints is a future market to deal with. In 2002, over 600,000 official complaints were registered by the UK local authorities [7].
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Military Market: It is vital for military troops to hear each other in noisy tanks, planes or artillery deployments. Only in the UK military force there are more than 18,000 soldiers who are exposed to high noises when assaulting in artillery and tanks regiments [8].
2.2 Comparison with competition
The Silence Machine is the first device able to block out a particular noise while leaving everything else audible. This technology was named by its creator Selwyn Wright as the Electronic Controlled Acoustic Shadow System (ECASS), which creates a 6mx6mx5m quiet environment with a noise reduction rate up to 100 dB [1, 2].
Competition comprised a wide range of alternatives, from disposal foam plugs to headphones based on a similar technology. All of them work on an individual protection basis.
Disposable foam plugs and pre-molded reusable earplugs represent the cheapest options in hearing protection (from £5 to £10 a pair). On the other hand, earmuff protectors come in a large variety of models, with prices varying from £20 to £120 a pair. Both alternatives offer a noise reduction rating between 20 and 30 dB [9].
In the air industry, headphones based on a similar technology have been used recently. The Active Noise Reduction technology reduces dramatically unwanted noises but it does not cancel them out completely. Prices start from £150 a pair [10].
2.3 Intellectual Property Rights
The patent of the technology has been filed but has not been granted. However, the silence machine as a novel technology offers better benefits compare to its competitors. It can be used in an open atmosphere without straining human body parts as it happens with other forms of the technology. So the likelihood is that the Patent Office would grant the patent and once the patent has been granted, the machine can be licensed.
2.4 Barriers to acceptance
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Testing: Before committing to the market, it would be prudent to do tests on the Silence Machine to make sure it does not damage the human hearing. Although it cancels out all the unwanted noises, sound waves could still affect hearing system.
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Product awareness: As a new product and still under research, there is no public awareness of it. An excellent way to overcome this situation could be by offering trials to potential clients who would see the benefits from its use.
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Price: Industrial version worth £10,000. However, companies could reduce other costs and overheads as a result of implementing the Silence Machine system. In addition to this, as happens with other technologies over the time, production and sale volumes will decrease costs and therefore price.
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Changeability: Companies keep changing equipment, shop floor layout, procedures that will require from the Silence Machine the flexibility to be adaptable to those new working conditions. Researchers need to work in mobility and sensitivity issues.
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Speed of delivery: Professor Wright as an individual will face difficulties to comply with clients’ requirements. Before this situation happens, it will be necessary to decide whether to license the technology, collaborate with its production, or looking for financial support to exploit it as a new venture.
II.3 Feasibility
3.1Can it be made? / Will it work?
The Silence Machine is being developed in the University of Huddersfield laboratories. “An eight channel system based on a Texas instrument TMS320C32 processor using a 2-tap filter and circular buffer technique to implement the delayed version of the updated algorithm” [2].
New software for unpredictable noises is being developed to be used in neighbourhoods according to the noise sources’ characteristics.
3.2 Will it make money?
A convincing marketing and sales strategy can help potential clients to see the long-term benefits of this technology. For a better understanding that the Silence Machine will represent a promising and profitable product, an example is given below.
Ford Motor Co. has in average 1,000 workers in each of their 15 units in the UK, where within 3 different shifts 800 employees work at risk from excessive noise.
One of their plants may need 5 Silence Machine units to shadow noises from power generators, machining, stamping and welding machines. This means, an investment of £50,000 for possibly a 10-year lifetime.
A comparative cost analysis with other hearing protection alternatives can be made. First, disposal foam plugs cost in average £5 a pair; and to supply each of those 800 workers with a monthly pair, the investment will go to £48,000 in just one year.
Secondly, comparing it with other more sophisticated ear protectors, which costs in average £70 a pair, for the same number of workers it will be needed £56,000 maybe every 4 years due to replacement for losses or damage.
II.4 Experience
Professor Wright does not have any marketing experience as such. However, as described above, there have been identified four markets, where the Silence Machine can be targeted. It would be advisable to him to go for the industrial market where the temporary monopoly can be achieved as such does not exist.
To break into the industrial market, the best strategy would be Direct Marketing, where sale representatives would personally demonstrate how the machine works. The machine can also be lent for a trial period to different companies so that they can gain first hand benefits of it without committing themselves financially.
Although there are many funding schemes, the question lies in finding the right one. Mr. Wright could ask funding from the government which has already awarded him the “Smart Award”. Staying on the government level, EU funding schemes would be another possible route to go for.
However, the most appropriate avenue to explore would be getting funds from Business Angels who have experience in the “Health and Safety” area. Hence, the Business Angels can see the potential benefits of the technology and consequently will invest in its development.
Professor Wright has fully developed the technology without any assistance outside the University of Huddersfield. So he has all the technical competencies to develop the machine.
- Management/Production Experience
Professor Wright can overcome the management and production barriers by forming relations with the Business Angels who can also provide their management experience and expertise during and after the production of the machine. Furthermore, as it will be described in the IP strategy in the next section, Professor Wright could license the technology to different companies to produce and manage on his behalf, in order to meet the demand of the relative markets.
II.5 Intellectual Property Strategy
Having identified various markets for the silence machine, there are different IP strategies which can be tailored depending upon the nature of the markets. For the industrial market, licensing would be an ultimate option to choose. The inventor can license his machine to different well known co-operates such as Sony, Panasonic and Motorola. This would give him the freedom to spend more time on R&D to develop the software which will deal with unpredictable noises.
Once the Professor has have developed the unpredictable noises version of the software, he can concentrate on transport and social markets. Consequently, he can enter into new ventures to meet the demands of those markets. He would be able to support new ventures with the revenues from the licensing contracts.
III. CONCLUSIONS
There are two major markets for the Silence Machine. At the moment, Selwyn Wright should concentrate on the industrial market where he could have a short-term monopoly, as there is no competition in this niche.
Licensing would be the best route to go for and to exploit the industrial market which will also give a freedom to operate freely to keep developing other versions of the software.
On the completion of the software to deal with unpredictable noises, the inventor can turn his attention to the transport and social markets. He can ask for funding to the Business Angels with expertise in the Health and Safety field and consequently they could provide him a helping hand, not only in finance and investment but also managing the production of the technology.
IV. REFERENCES
[1] Techtarget IT Media, (Access date 30 Oct. 2004)
[2] LEE, Laura. Conversation for Exploration, http://, (Access 29 Oct. 2004)
[3] Department for environment, food and rural affairs (2004), http:// (Access date 29 Oct. 2004)
[4] London Hazards Centre (2004), http://, (Access date 29 Oct. 2004)
[5] VENKAT, Kumar. San Francisco Chronicle, http:// (Access date 29 Oct. 2004)
[6] Protective Clothing and Equipment Market Report (2003), http:// (Access date 29 Oct. 2004)
[7] Environment South West (2001), http:// (Access date 2 Nov. 2004)
[8] British Royal Army (2004), (Access date 30 Oct. 2004)
[9] Airware America (2004), (Access date 30 Oct. 2004)
[10] Headphones and Headsets Co. (2004), (Access date 30 Oct. 2004)
