The microphones currently used in Army NBC Protective Masks are relatively large, bulky, heavy dynamic microphones designed many years ago. The Army seeks an improved microphone which offers increased intelligibility. Though not specifically mentioned, ruggedness, reliability and long-term shelf life are additional requirements. This project addresses the task of finding, insofar as possible, the best and most appropriate microphone technology for upgrading the NBC Protective Maskto meet these needs and to take advantage of recent advances in technology. The project will consider not only existing microphone products of recent and advanced design, but also opportunities for improving on existing designs either by attention to detail or by introducing entirely new microphone transducer principles which utilize contemporary technology in a new way. SPHINX Technologies and its subcontractor, Dove Electronics, have several specific concepts of the latter sort to offer, which are considered propriety and are dicussed in some detail in the main body of the proposal. The Phase I study will consider all reasonable possibilities for the upgrade, but will quickly narrow them downto a small set of most promising candidates. These will then be studied in depth to provide a focused and technically sound plan of attack for subsequent exploratory development of advanced technology microphone prototypes in Phase II.
Benefits: The immediate benefits will be availability of an improved microphone for the NBC Protective Mask application, allowing a reduction in overall weight of the mask, improved field of view, increased space for other equipment, and improved intelligability. Further benefits will accrue indirectly throughout government, industry and the consumer economy wherever electronic speech communication is needed and may also spill over into educational and entertainment uses of microphones, with suitable adaption of the basic design
