Ultrasound Communications Systems for the Flight Deck

Hearing is critical to the warfighter: hazards must be heard, identified, and localized and voiced warnings and commands must be heard and acted upon. On the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, the extreme noise levels from aircraft make face-to-face voice communication especially challenging, if not impossible. Some positions on the flight deck are equipped with portable radios to help convey voice comms. However, most of the deck crew must function without such tools, relying instead on non-verbal comms (like hand signals) or attempting to shout over the noise or through their hearing protection. Additionally, Sailors and Marines are operating in theaters that demand elevated Emissions Control (EMCON) postures to improve their defense. Under elevated EMCON, radios are disallowed, removing the one tool available that allows voice comms in noise and the flight deck operating tempo becomes harder to sustain. To help the crew communicate, we need a voice communication system that can cut through the noise of the flight deck while remaining EMCON compatible. Ideally, such a system would provide both close-range voice comms for so-called “face to face” interactions and also address longer-range scenarios, such as across-deck comms and for island-to-flight-deck comms. Such a system would help sustain a robust operational tempo, despite the high noise and an elevated EMCON posture. Creare has been developing its ultrasonic voice communication (“U-Comm”) technology to meet the DoD’s need for a non-radio voice communication system that functions in noisy environments. Our U-Comm system conveys a person’s voice using ultrasonic sound waves instead of radio. Ultrasound is a form of sound; no radio waves are emitted. As such, it is inherently EMCON compliant. Equipping some or all flight deck personnel with U-Comm will enable improved communications in noise, regardless of EMCON.