NOISE REDUCTION SYSTEM FOR SHIPBOARD SPACES

THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP, AND DEMONSTRATE ON A SHIP, A SYSTEM FOR SIGNIFICIANTLY REDUCING NOISE (IN THE 20 HZ - 2,000 HZ RANGE) BY ACTIVE CANCELLATION USING A NEURAL NETWORK TECHNIQUE. THE EMPHASIS WILL BE ON A REAL-WORLD SOLUTION RATHER THAN A LABORATORY DEMONSTRATION. UNLIKE PAST ACTIVE CANCELLATION SYSTEMS, THE SYSTEM PROPOSED HERE WILL NOT INVOLVE THE USE OF UNCOMFORTABLE HEADPHONES. INSTEAD, WE WILL EMPLOY A LIGHTWEIGHT, COOL, CLOTH MESH "ASTRONAUT BEANIE" CONTAINING A SMALL, BATTERY-POWERED ELECTRONIC PACKAGE, AN ARRAY OF SMALL "WALKMAN" TYPE HEADSET SPEAKERS POSITIONED OVER EACH EAR (BUT NOT TOUCHING THE EAR OR CLOSING IT OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE AIR), AND A NOISE CANCELLATION BOOM MICROPHONE. THE ENTIRE UNIT WILL BE RUGGED AND LIGHTWEIGHT AND ABLE TO RUN FOR UP TO 24 HOURS ON TWO STANDARD-SIZE 9-V DISPOSABLE OR RECHARGEABLE 9V LITHIUM BATTERIES (WHICH ARE MOUNTED IN A RUGGED HOLDER AT THE BACK OF THE BEANIE). THE PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP A COMBINATION SQUAWK BOX/MICROPHONE FOR MOUNTING ON THE WALL OF THE SPACE. ALL BRIDGE COMMUNICATIONS AND ALARMS WILL BE PIPED INTO AND OUT OF THIS SPECIAL BOX VIA ORDINARY AUDIO SIGNAL LINES. USING A PROPRIETARY METHOD DESCRIBED IN THE PROPOSAL, THE SAILORS IN THE SPACE WILL BE ABLE TO CLEARLY HEAR ALARMS AND COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE BRIDGE AND BE ABLE TO FREELY AND CONTINUOUSLY SPEAK WITH THE BRIDGE AND WITH EACH OTHER -ALL WITHOUT PUSHBUTTON OR VOICE ACTIVATED SWITCHES.