Jones AV drives operating room ‘revolution’
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As part of the development of the new ‘Integrated Operating Theatre of Things’ (ITOT), Jones AV looked to revolutionise operating room AV set-ups to overcome audio limitations, harness smart power management, reduce the number of devices via a fully digital signal chain, and scale down travel with full remote control aiming to meet Net Zero 2045 targets within the NHS.
The company installed the first ITOT system at the Cambridge Surgical Training Centre in September 2023, unveiling its solution after 18 months of intensive research and development incorporating a demo operating theatre. The system is optimised to deliver superior technological performance while reducing energy consumption to less than 75% of comparable systems.
One of the main challenges in operating theatres is audio interference, particularly from electrosurgical devices such as surgical knives. Jones AV sought a digital solution that would offer superior audio quality, reduced power consumption, and remote serviceability. Producing consistent and good quality audio in training environments, without the requirement for personal microphones, which can be challenging in a sterile area, was a key objective, allowing for better legibility for lectures and recordings of teaching materials.
Ingo Aicher, managing director at Jones AV explains: “We continually struggled with audio routing limitations as part of video over IP systems, as they do not allow for true matrix routing when multiple participants or platforms are involved. We were specifically looking for a future-proof audio solution that would give all the advantages of digital with the added bonus on POE for delivering audio, power and control data via a single wire.”
Collaborating with RH consultants for the systems design and Audiologic and Sennheiser for equipment supply and advice, a demo operating theatre was established. Under the guidance of Audiologic business manager Jess Raraty, and Sennheiser, a system incorporating technology including a Q-SYS Core Nano AV&C processor, Sennheiser Team Connect Ceiling Mic II, Genelec 4420AWM Smart IP speakers and Audinate ADP USB AU and Dante Bluetooth module was put together for the new Demo Theatre.
Aicher added: “Audiologic has been brilliant from the outset of the project. We received support with all things technical, opening up lines to manufacturers technicians and support teams. Jess made sure we received the development kit quickly to start programming and get to grips with the Q-SYS and Genelec equipment. Audiologic worked with Sennheiser to get us their Speechline equipment for an extended period to set up a test environment in the office so we could test and simulate the whole setup.”
The resulting demo room trials yielded positive results, demonstrating no interference, advanced audio routing capabilities, superior manipulation, end-to-end digital high quality and successful remote access to administer and control all devices in the signal chain. The system was then deployed at the Cambridge Surgical Training Centre, where it received praise for its ease of use and exceptional audiovisual performance.
