Once again, this year's INTERSCHUTZ in Hanover has demonstrated the direction in which the industry is heading. The focus was on innovations designed to improve safety and efficiency during operations. The following trends were particularly evident:
One topic of particular focus for voice INTER connect was speech quality. After all, in an emergency, every word often counts. Misunderstandings cost time, and in critical situations, they can endanger human lives. At the same time, clear speech transmission reduces the cognitive strain on emergency services personnel, particularly in noisy and stressful environments.
At the trade fair, several approaches were presented aimed at improving speech communication in emergency vehicles and between emergency services personnel.
One key trend is the use of bus-based intercom systems such as vicCOM CAR. The digital bus system architecture significantly reduces the amount of cabling required. At the same time, any number of hands-free intercom units can be flexibly integrated at various locations within the vehicle.
These robust hands-free units feature powerful loudspeakers, high-quality microphones and integrated digital noise cancellation. This ensures that speech remains loud and clear even under difficult operating conditions. The hands-free function keeps your hands free, while digital signal processing reliably prevents annoying feedback, even at high volumes.
There is also a clear trend towards decentralisation in microphone technology. Bus-based digital in-vehicle microphones can be positioned next to the speaker or at the source of the sound, which is ideal for intercoms and in-vehicle communication, as well as for capturing ambient noise.
Miniaturised MEMS microphones can be fitted almost invisibly into the cabin ceiling or behind panelling. The tiny 0.5-millimetre sound aperture makes installation particularly barely visible. Microphones can be connected via the digital A2B bus over distances of up to 40 metres without interference and processed centrally. Thanks to e21 certification, such systems are immediately ready for use in vehicles.
In addition to in-vehicle communication, the capture of external sounds is also becoming increasingly important. Weatherproof external microphones can be integrated directly into the vehicle’s body. Digital transmission also takes place via the A2B bus and enables ranges of up to 40 metres.
When combined with a central processing unit, the audio data can be analysed using AI or utilised for voice control and environmental analysis.
Another highlight of the trade fair was noise-filtering microphone arrays with an exceptionally slim design. Modern MEMS technology enables them to be discreetly integrated behind trim panels or in the cabin ceiling.
Thanks to digital beamforming, the microphones focus specifically on the speaker and filter out background noise from the sides. This significantly improves speech intelligibility, particularly in the cockpits of emergency vehicles and with body-worn communication systems. This benefits not only the emergency services personnel themselves, but also control centres and other communication partners.
At the same time, the compact design opens up new possibilities for vehicle design by eliminating the need for obtrusive gooseneck microphones.
Traditional controls reach their limits when gloves are worn or both hands are needed for rescue and firefighting operations. Voice control is therefore becoming an increasingly important part of modern operational communications.
Not only does reliable voice control make operation more convenient, it also contributes to safety and efficiency during operations.
Thanks to high-performance embedded processors, artificial intelligence can now be used directly within the vehicle. Compact AI platforms integrate audio processing, multimedia, network communication and A2B bus connectivity within a single, centralised processing unit.
These platforms serve as communication gateways, laying the foundation for future functions such as intelligent speech assistance, automatic noise analysis and AI-supported operational assistance.
INTERSCHUTZ 2026 has made it clear that modern emergency communications encompass far more than just radio technology. High speech intelligibility, robust digital audio transmission, and intelligent signal processing are all essential.
Bus-based intercom systems, decentralised microphone technology, noise-filtering microphone arrays and AI-supported speech processing all share the same goal: to support emergency services personnel reliably and ensure that every important word is understood, even under the most challenging conditions.
Clear communication is key to the success of an operation.
Communication between the driver and the team in commercial and emergency vehicles is challenging due to ambient noise, cabin acoustics, and the multitude of communication connections. Find out how voice INTER connect addresses these challenges.
Electret microphones and MEMS microphones are widely used types that differ significantly in terms of design and application. We explain when each microphone is best suited.
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