Concept and Technology Exploration for Transparent Hearing

Abstract

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data so.1rces gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collectiof of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Executive Services and Communications Directorate (0704-0188). Respondents should b4 aware that notwithstanding any other provision of Law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for falling to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently velic OMB control number. orifices, including the ears, to achieve minimal protection. Additionally, warfighting involves operating in very close proximity to loud equipment, from which the noise can degrade an individual's auditory perception, and over time can degrade general performance. Common hearing protection and occlusion isolates the warfighter from the environment, deflating situational awareness, confidence, and effectiveness, thus putting the warfighter at high risk and compromising his ability to detect and assesm threats. Often, soldiers are so uncomfortable with the isolation of hearing protection that they will choose to go without hearing protection and expose themselves to painful and harmful noise, which can result in deafness and reduced effectiveness as warfighters. This effort includes a survey of relevant head-borne hear-through auditory systems, a selection of approaches to a transparent hearing solution, implementation of the approaches, and evaluation. PLEASE DO NOT

Audio helmet-mounted displays

“…The general concept of the acoustically transparent helmet is to place a network of microphones on the helmet shell and deliver captured spatial sound to the Warfighter's ears in order to restore natural hearing. The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory jointly funded a project entitled Concept and technology exploration for transparent hearing systems that was executed by the Scorpion Audio Team, comprised of representatives of AuSIM, Inc., Fakespace Laboratories, Sensimetrics Corporation, and Boston University (Chapin et al, 2003). Figure 5-30 shows the Natick "Scorpion R2" helmet design, with potential microphone locations to capture the directional characteristics of external sounds.…”