A group of Nottingham experts will fit army helmets with small, undetectable microphones to help reduce the risk of soldiers getting hearing injuries.
Research by Nottingham Trent University has meant the microphones can be knitted into the helmets.
A project led by the Advanced Textiles Research Group (ATRG) at the uni will develop technology to measure and record the levels of noise soldiers experience.
Professor Tilak Dias, leading the project, said: “This innovation will dramatically reduce the risk of service personnel injured due to long-term noise exposure.
“By integrating a low-cost and discrete dosemeter directly into a textile, such as a helmet cover, the noise exposure of personnel will be monitored and stored, providing the data necessary to take preventative action in the future.”
Professor Dias and research fellow Dr Theodore Hughes-Reilly have received a grant to develop a prototype helmet with two microphones, one above each ear.
A short exposure to sound levels exceeding 140 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage, with a single gunshot capable of producing a sound level of 140 to 170 decibels.
The team say the positioning of the microphones above each ear is vital as an acoustic injury in the military is more likely to affect one ear more than the other.
Dr Hughes-Riley said: “Research has shown that the effect of hearing loss on an individual’s speech comprehension can severely affect their ability to communicate with others and affect their quality of life.
“So it’s important that soldiers are given the best protection possible to prevent them from experiencing noise levels which can cause injury.”
The helmet will also make it simpler for the military to continue to fully comply with the Control of Noise at Work regulations which limit the level of noise than an employee can be exposed to in the workplace over a period of time.
The team will use microelectromechanical system microphones (MEMS) which measure the level of noise someone is exposed to over a length of time.
The microphones will be embedded in yarns using ATRG’s e-yarn technology platform to keep them dry and allow the helmet covers to be washed.
