A traditional alarm is a simple bell, siren, or light that goes off when a fault is detected

This lets the operator know a fault has occured, but doesn't give much clue as to why - binary

Using more complex fault detection techniques, we can often determine the actual cause of the fault, which actions the operator needs to take, and what will happen if the operator fails to do so.

This information has to be conveyed somehow, which is where multimedia comes in

With a sophisticated enough fault detection scheme, the operator can receive alerts about faults, including their severity and recommended actions

This helps alleviate operator confusion

The system could even produce a short report that is sent to the operator detailing the issue and possible courses of action

Research groups are working on advancing intelligence of alarms