“With this device there is always consistency, because it can only be worn one way,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This technology may not be as sexy as autonomous helicopters and firefighting robots, but it certainly has the attention of the bean counters and docs. medical community. <\/span>Disability claims for hearing loss run $1.4 billion annually, according to data from the Veterans Administration. That does not include the cost of care. The VA also buys 600,000 hearing aids every year. That is nearly one-quarter of total U.S. sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Karol Hatzilias, Chief Science Officer for United Sciences demonstrates on William Bartko, right, from Office of Naval Research, their in-ear scanning solution that scans and creates a 3D model of a person’s ear that is then used to create hearing protection\/earphones that will fit perfectly using a 3-D printer at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology Expo at the Washington Convention Center on Feb. 5, 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo Credit: Alan Lessig\/Staff<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Improved hearing protection is only the start doesn’t even scratch the surface <\/span>of what this technology can provide, according to Karol Hatzilias, chief science officer at United Sciences. He showed Navy Times a digital signal processor, smaller than a dime, which boasts a Bluetooth connection and easily fits into the silicone earpiece. Three bronze strips stretch about one inch from the chip. One is a speaker directed at the ear canal that offers clear communication even when surrounded by deafening noise. Another is a microphone that provides situational awareness and can amplify or dampen specific signals. The third is a microphone that enables the user to communicate at a whisper, if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wearing these on a flight deck, for example, could radically improve communications and safety between aircrews, handlers and pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the people on the receiving end know more than what the sailor is saying. The ear piece can hold biomedical sensors that pick up a wide array of cognitive activity. This can register everything from stress levels and sleep deprivation to concussions. Such insight is a primary focus of scientists who look to make the most of warrior resiliency.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “The ear is a physiological playground,” Kellett said. <\/span>“Hearing protection is just the beginning,” Kellett said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most sailors don’t wear foamies right, and that’s leading to preventable hearing loss. Now, the Navy’s research branch is eyeing a 3-D printer that makes custom ear plugs to fit every sailors’ ears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":49098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[12,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1012],"class_list":["post-23514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7LS3E5UXUNDLTAUY7RUTJMFR5U","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2015\/02\/07\/now-hear-this-custom-foamies-in-the-works-for-sailors\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635588252337651053-nav-naval-future-force-35-jpg.jpg\")