CREARE LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: DHA18-001

Description

The nature of military operations leads to high noise levels, exposing personnel to the possibility of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Individual hearing monitoring is conducted yearly which can only provide a record of the progression of irreversible hearing loss with limited options for intervention and mitigation. Furthermore, there is limited data that links actual, real-world noise exposure to NIHL making it very difficult to develop evidence-based damage risk criteria. Creare proposes to design, build, and test a system that will (1) provide hearing protection during activities in noisy environments; (2) record personal noise dose; and (3) monitor hearing function over time. Our integrated in-ear hearing monitoring and protection system will allow users to monitor the potential impact of auditory insults as close to the injury as is possible, and eventually enable real-time intervention such as pharmaceuticals to mitigate pre clinical hearing damage and prevent NIHL. We have assembled an expert team that is uniquely positioned to develop this technology thanks to its active involvement in the development of innovative technologies for hearing assessment, hearing protection, and dosimetry for individuals working in noisy settings.