Digital Method for Improved Custom Hearing Protection Equipment

The DoD spends over $1 Billion annually on disability payments attributed to hearing loss, yet this can be prevented. Research shows that with proper hearing protection a 19% reduction in hearing loss cases can be expected. Custom ear plugs force the user to wear the devices correctly and to retain hearing protection during activity, thus eliminating improper seating issues as the primary cause of DoD hearing loss cases. Realization of custom ear plugs within the DoD has been slow because current manual/physical ear impression technology is difficult to implement on a large scale therefore a new means of acquiring ear impressions is required. A non-contact digital ear imaging/fabrication device is proposed here which would reduce DoD disability payments by a projected $190 Million per year.