Dental News - “Molar Mic” personal communication system receives multimillion-dollar DOD funding

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 17. September 2018

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SAN MATEO, Calif., U.S.: Sonitus Technologies, a developer of miniaturized wireless personal communication solutions, has announced that it has been awarded Phase II of its contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). It is structured to provide the U.S. Air Force with a novel personal communication system that Air Force personnel have nicknamed the “Molar Mic.”

The innovative two-way personal communication system fits a miniaturized traditional headset into a device that clips to the wearer’s back teeth. The system is built around a technology that creates a new audio path “supersense” for wireless communication, eliminating the need for earpieces, microphones and wires on the head. A mouthpiece that clips on the teeth becomes the single point of contact for incoming and outgoing wireless audio communication and augmented awareness through employing a patented audio interface and near-field magnetic induction technology. The mouthpiece uses the body itself to exclude outside influences.

The DOD, via its Defense Innovation Unit, has granted Sonitus Technologies a multimillion-dollar, multiyear contract to complete development of the Molar Mic. The plan is to use it for purposes of transition to fielding and deployment of the system upon successful conclusion of the first segment of the contract, which is funded by the U.S. Air Force.

“Sonitus Technologies is honored to bring this game-changing technology to our country’s elite military, making them safer and more effective by enabling them to communicate clearly—even in the most extreme situations,” said Sonitus Technologies CEO Peter Hadrovic. “The voice interface sustains communications in dangerous and challenging environments. The ‘Molar Mic’ is the first in our family of solutions that conventional approaches are unable to address.”

The recent award followed DOD-funded field testing of prototypes by military personnel from all of the major service branches with extensive field experimentation. Testing included multiple scenarios, with and without personal protective equipment, all with extreme noise and without loss of communication.

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