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Firefly Headset | Plantronics | 2002
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Created: 02/18/11
Last Edited: 12/04/12
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Description
The Firefly Headset gives observers a visual indication that the wearer is on a call with a flashing red light at the microphone boom tip.
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Featured on 1/28/12
- Featured on:
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Industrial Design Served
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ID Magazine Served
- Firefly Headset Plantronics, 2002
- Plantronics designs and manufactures a wide range of corded and wireless headsets for the office and mobile communcations market.
With the ubiquity of mobile headsets today, people now are accustomed to approaching someone talking that is wearing a visible headset. The person wearing the headset is likely talking to someone on a call, and not to anyone standing around him.
The Firefly Headset was an early attempt, before BT headsets were commonplace, to give observers a visual indication that the wearer was on a call. Our assignment was to retrofit an existing headset model (the m170) with a blinking light at the microphone boom tip. An equal challenge for ID, ME, EE, AE and MFG.
My contribution was the Mechanical Engineering of the new boom tip assembly and modified plastic parts. 
The Firefly Headset shown with the CA40, S12 and CT12 phone systems.
Boom Tip Assembly Detail. A challenge for acoustical, mechanical and electrical engineering to maintain excellence in audio quality.
An equal challenge for Industrial Design to maintain the formal integrity of the mic boom, only allowed to modify the mic cap (gray part with hole) and adding the red lens. Fred Polito, Industrial Designer, credited with achieving the ID. The original m170 on left, Firefly on right.- Credits
- Fred Polito Industrial Design
Roman Duran Surface Design
Osman Isvan Acoustical Engineering
Iain McNeil Electrical Engineering
Andy Richardson Mechanical Engineering
