Now hear this: new ear plugs on the way.

• Author: Williams, Robert H.
• Position: Tech Talk - Brief Article

Military maintenance crews may soon be the beneficiaries of a small digital device that will protect them from permanent hearing loss caused by the roar of jet fighter turbines.

Designed by Adaptive Technologies Inc. for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. the QuietCom earplug protects from high intensity ambient noise, while permitting clear communication and improved speech intelligibility among members of Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force ground crews, a company spokesman said.

Inside the earplugs are a miniature microphone and speaker. "Sound inside the ear is actively cancelled through a process known as active noise reduction," the...