Comparison of Speech Intelligibility Test between Air Conduction and Bone Conduction Using the Callsign Acquisition Test

Abstract

Communication in the battleground is very critical for the military. With U.S forces engaged in combat operations around the world in the war on terror, the need for effective and efficient communication systems has become more and more important. There are, in general, two types of communication: air conduction and bone conduction. Although air conduction is more commonly used in industry, bone conducted radio communication offers an attractive means for infantry to communicate in the battlefield because it allows radio communication to be transmitted and received without compromising the soldier's awareness of his or her surroundings. Bone conduction interfaces are also lightweight and less bulky and are therefore easy to integrate into military headgear. Based on the findings of previous study, condyle was chosen as the location for the bone vibrator placement. This research compares performance between bone conduction and air conduction using the military's Callsign Acquisition Test (CAT). Results from this study will help better design bone conduction devices for the military in the future.