Dental Conduction Hearing for Divers

Audiodontics, Inc., under the support and cooperation of the University of Maryland, has recently developed a hearing aid called the Intraoral Audio Transducer System (IATS). The IATS uses a miniature actuator of Terfenol-D coupled to a tooth to provide bone conduction sound. Terfenol-D permits high power transduction with very low voltage and thus a safe system for installation inside the mouth. In response to the Navy's requirement for improved underwater diver communication. a new application for Audiodontic's developed technology is proposed. Specific aims of the proposed program include: (1) Fabrication of a miniature Terfenol-D actuator which shall be embedded into a diver mouthpiece; (2) Standardization of the bone conduction hearing levels of prototype mouthpiece by sophisticated audiometric tests; (3) Testing the mouthpiece in divers underwater to demonstrate audible sound over a range of frequencies important for speech perception. Audiodontics intends to partner with Benthos, Inc., an underwater equipment specialist, to develop and commercialize the proposed technology. While Benthos provides the experience and resources for commercialization, Audiodontics supplies the necessary commitment.