BAE Systems Adapts Bone Conduction Technology to Aid Soldiers on the Battlefield
September 15, 2015 | BAE SystemsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
BAE Systems has developed an innovative communication device to aid armed forces personnel on the battlefield.
The prototype system is designed to improve soldier safety and drive mission success by harnessing the body's natural ability to transmit sound through bone conduction, transferring messages directly from the soldier’s helmet to the inner ear. It is being developed as part of Company-funded research which aims to reduce the burden on the dismounted soldier through wearable technology.
Soldiers need to be able to receive audio communications to maximise their awareness and understanding of the challenging environments they are working in, whilst also protecting themselves from extremely loud noises such as gunfire. To address these conflicting requirements, BAE Systems engineers have adapted existing bone conduction technology often used in commercial headphones and hearing aids for the military domain.
The resulting solution significantly improves the performance of the device and minimising the size and weight of the transducer to the size of a five pence coin. Leveraging off-the-shelf technology to engineer the prototype has allowed the team to significantly reduce development time and costs.
Mohammed Akhmad, Principal Scientist at BAE Systems, said: "We recognise that on the battlefield, auditory situational awareness is essential for armed forces personnel. With this system, the soldiers can safeguard their hearing with ear protectors whilst still clearly receiving military voice communications, to enable them to perform their roles efficiently and safely.
"Through collaborating directly with our customer, we are able to understand their operational challenges and translate them into technical solutions. The key to this concept is that we have been able to utilise off-the-shelf technology and apply our specialist engineering expertise to greatly reduce the time it takes to develop a new prototype. In doing so, we have developed an audio system that offers enhanced capabilities for the military domain."
In the future this technology will be incorporated into future integrated helmets. A concept demonstrator for BAE Systems' bone conduction technology will be on display at DSEI (Defence and Security Equipment International), in London this year.
Suggested Items
Terran Orbital’s GEOStare SV2 Captures 3 Years of Success in High-Resolution Imaging
05/17/2024 | BUSINESS WIRETerran Orbital Corporation, a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, celebrates the 3rd anniversary of its successful GEOStare SV2 mission. Launched on May 15, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, GEOStare SV2 has surpassed expectations, delivering exceptional results for commercial satellite imagery.
Indium Experts to Present on High-Temperature, Lead-Free Solder Paste and High Reliability Liquid Metal Alloys Poster at ECTC
05/16/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Research Associate Kyle Aserian will deliver a presentation at the 74th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) on May 31, in Denver, Colorado.
Siemens, Foxconn Team Up to Optimize Forward-thinking Manufacturing
05/16/2024 | FoxconnSiemens AG, a leading technology company, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to drive digital transformation and sustainability in smart manufacturing platforms.
TactoTek Licenses IMSE Technology to Polestar for Sustainable Electronics Design Innovation
05/15/2024 | TactoTekPolestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand, and Finnish smart surface pioneer TactoTek, have entered a collaboration to explore integration of Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) technology into Polestar’s vehicle programs.
SiPearl: Partnership with Samsung Electronics for built-in HBM in Rhea
05/14/2024 | BUSINESS WIRESiPearl, the company building the high-performance low-power European microprocessor for HPC and AI inference, has signed a partnership with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a world leader in advanced memory technology, to equip its Rhea series with Samsung’s advanced memory solution ideal for HPC and AI applications.