Talk Through Noise and Dosimetry System for Carrier Deck Crews

Face-to-face communication between crew members launching and recovering aircraft on a carrier deck is impaired by the high-noise environment. High-noise levels also mask the various audio cues that provide situational awareness. Effective communication and good situational awareness are keys to safe and efficient operations. Creare proposes a Talk Through Noise (TTN) system that will improve face-to-face communications while maintaining the audio cues necessary for situational awareness without degrading crew members’ hearing protection. The system also includes a module for speech enhancement that enables communication in very high noise (greater than 110 dBA), and an integrated dosimetry capability that will allow crew chiefs to effectively manage the exposure of their crews. In Phase I, we proved the feasibility of our concept through evaluations of potential system components, integration of selected components into prototype systems, and tests to demonstrate the performance of these systems. In Phase II, we will further develop the system before integrating it with the Navy Deck Crew Advanced Helmet System being developed on another Navy project. We will then test the system in our laboratory and in the field. At the conclusion of the project, we will have transitioned the technology into a production-ready system.