TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes, Human Systems

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-261, Heavy Lift Helicopter

OBJECTIVE: Develop and integrate innovative and cost-effective platform and personnel mounted technologies to improve Navy and Marine aviation hearing protection and communication.

DESCRIPTION: Working in an environment that requires wearing hearing protection diminishes the ability to communicate effectively and to detect and discriminate auditory warnings. Unfortunately, vehicle noise dampening technologies are sometimes avoided or removed to increase mission capability or to reduce weight and operational costs thus relegating solutions almost entirely to man-mounted systems.

Explore linked vehicle and personnel solutions to improve hearing quality and mission effectiveness in Navy and Marine flight operations, ideally with a reduced life cycle cost. A key objective is to analyze platform spectra and concentrate improvements on frequency ranges critical to auditory performance and hearing conservation.

While this topic focuses on improvements to any pilot/maintainer helmet, hearing, or communication system, one area of particular interest is the gap in existing hearing protection for crews of the upcoming H-53K helicopter. H-53K cabin noise predictions indicate a significant increase in sound level pressures at 500 600 Hz compared to the H-53E, which would mean the current hearing protection is deficient by about 13-14 dB (mean attenuation minus two standard deviations) in those frequencies.

This sort of spectral mismatch or inadequacy by hearing protection and communication systems to an offending noise is to be a focus of this effort. Proposals may include wireless concepts and should be supported by clear statements of the intended improvements and performance goals.

PHASE I: Determine the feasibility of innovative design solutions or new technology strategies that improve the protection, effectiveness, and system costs associated with auditory performance in Navy and Marine flight operations. Develop the initial concept design and model key elements of the impact of the innovation on at least one critical performance parameter and one life cycle cost element for the chosen improvement.

PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate and validate prototypes in laboratory and relevant environments. Initiate business case analyses (BCA) and life cycle cost estimates (LCCE).

PHASE III: Progress to production-representative prototypes, conduct necessary qualification and field testing, and transition to appropriate platforms.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: New product(s) have potential commercial applications in manufacturing environments and sports arena markets.

REFERENCES:
1. ANSI S3.2-2009. Method for Measuring the Intelligibility of Speech over Communication Systems

2. ANSI S12.6-2008. Methods for Measuring the Real-Ear Attenuation of Hearing Protectors

3. ANSI S12.42-2010. Methods for the Measurement of Insertion Loss of Hearing Protection Devices in Continuous or Impulsive Noise Using Microphone-in-Real-Ear or Acoustic Test Fixture Procedures

4. ANSI S12.68-2007. Methods of Estimating Effective A-Weighted Sound Pressure Levels When Hearing Protectors are Worn

5. OPNAVINST 5100.19E. Navy Safety and Occupational Health Program Manual for Forces Afloat Chapter B-12 Personal Protective Equipment

6. OPNAVINST 5100.23G. Navy Safety and Occupational Health Program Manual.

7. Berger, E.G., Royster, L.H., Royster, J.D., Driscoll, D.P. & Layne, M. (2000). The Noise Manual Fifth Edition. American Industrial Hygiene Association

8. Kryter, K. (1994). The Handbook of Hearing and the Effects of Noise. Academic Press, Inc.

KEYWORDS: Helmet; Hearing; Communications; Flight Deck; Cost Reduction; Mission Effectiveness

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between November 10 and December 12, 2010, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 13, 2011, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (11.1 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 11.1 topic under which they are proposing.

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