Can You Hear Me Now?

The Joint Strike Fighter program is sponsoring the development of advanced hearing protection technologies that prevent noise-induced hearing loss for maintenance personnel supporting the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force F-35. Earplug designer Adaptive Technologies, Inc., will produce approximately forty active noise reduction test sets, enough to qualify and demonstrate the system's utility. The custom earplug protects users against high-intensity ambient noise while allowing them to communicate. The earplugs contain a miniature microphone and speaker that work together to cancel a portion of the attenuation and provide communications capability.