Chip enables smart ear plugs
An ear plug developed by a Norwegian company features electronics technology that allows speech to pass, but shuts out unwanted and hazardous noise.
The basic technology in the QUIETPRO ear plug was developed at Norwegian research organisation SINTEF. The ear plug comprises a miniature loudspeaker, as well as internal and external microphones. The inner microphone measures the noise in the ear. The ear plug shuts out the noise, but the electronics allows speech to pass. According to the developer, when used with a radio, the system is a complete communications terminal for use in noisy environments.
One of the main principles of ear plugs is that sounds should not be attenuated more than necessary, so users do not feel they are acoustically shut off from their surroundings. When it is quiet, QUIETPRO is 'transparent', with the result that users can hold a normal conversation.
The system has been designed for continuous use, ensuring that hearing is always protected and that messages reach the user whether they arrive via direct acoustic channels, a public-address system or the radio.
The user's voice is also captured in the ear canal and this is virtually free of noise. This can then be used for radio communication, so neither a hand held microphone or microphone clip in front of the mouth are required.
