Speech intelligibility differences of male and female vocal signals transmitted through bone conduction in background noise: Implications for voice communication headset design

Tactical organizations require verbal communication that is clear and intelligible. When designing new devices, communication equipment developers must not only consider the electrical components of the devices but also various parameters of both the listening environment and signals being transmitted. Bone conduction communication devices have recently been introduced into several tactical organizations; however, the effectiveness of these devices has not been comprehensively explored. This paper describes a study investigating the impact of voice type (male and female), location (condyle and mastoid), and background noise level (0, 83, 93, and 103 dB(A)) on the intelligibility of bone-conducted verbal communication. Results of the study indicated the male voice tested outperformed the female voice within each noise level except for the 0 dB(A) noise level. At the 0 dB(A) noise level, the female voice outperformed the male voice. There were no performance differences found between locations at the 0 or 83 dB(A) noise levels; however, at the 93 and 103 dB(A) noise levels the condyle outperformed the mastoid. Relevance to industry: Various agencies are currently utilizing bone conduction communication devices in tactical missions. Due to the critical nature of these missions, it is important to determine conditions in which bone conduction communication devices are most (and least) effective in order to enhance present and future designs. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.