Xacore signs agreement with ESSE to tackle challenge of military hearing loss

Jun 17 2010

Xacore announces today that they have entered into an agreement with Ellis Services and Solutions Enterprises, LLC (ESSE) headed by retired US Army Four-Star General Larry R. Ellis and his group of experienced professionals to tackle the challenge of military hearing loss. This agreement joins Xacore's leading edge noise protection DSP radio headset technology with the strengths of ESSE's experience in marketing and solutions with the military and government.

According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, hearing loss is the number one disability of soldiers returning from war in the Middle East.  The Department of Veteran Affairs reported at the end of 2004, the monthly compensation payments to veterans with hearing loss as their major form of disability represented an annualized cost of some $660 million. The military continues to issue earplugs, as a partial solution.  However, earplugs are generally not worn in combat as soldiers experience difficulty distinguishing hostile acts from environmental noises.  Some of the ear plugs have an "open position" which is designed to help hear sounds better during battle.  Unfortunately, explosions, gun shots and other loud noises which cause instant hearing damage also pass through the "open position".  The Army continues to test other technologies and solutions however, they also have drawbacks says Denise Collins, Director of Marketing.  "In past wars, earplugs were effective for hearing protection, because earplugs reduce noise all together.  In today's war, a soldier needs to be able to hear noises in his surroundings accurately. Other systems on the market return noises at a safe decibel level through a single external microphone system which allows soldiers to hear noises, but they find it difficult to distinguish which direction those noises are coming from.  Xacore's X-59000 uses a four (4) mic external microphone system which allows its DSP's algorithms to calculate directionality with near human ear accuracy.  This system provides the soldier continuous and impulse noise protection at minimum 32dB reduction, situational awareness and radio communications all in one headset."

"Hearing loss has not been brought to the forefront like other protective systems such as body armor, helmets, eye protection and boots. We intend to bring hearing loss to the front and solve the problem that other solutions fell short of resolving" said General Ellis.

The ESSE Xacore partnership will begin immediately and coincide with the Xacore Live Demo Tour launched earlier this month.  The 12,500 miles Live Demo Tour is an on-site live fire demo of Xacore's X-59000 series headset.  Beginning in New York State and going down to Florida and across the US to California, the 2-month tour will visit Army, and Marine Corps bases such as Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, and Fort Polk, Fort Irwin and Camp Pendleton.