A throat microphone, also called a laryngophone, is a type of

contact microphone A contact microphone, also known as a piezo microphone, is a form of microphone that senses audio vibrations through contact with solid objects. Unlike normal air microphones, contact microphones are almost completely insensitive to air vibrat ...

that absorbs vibrations directly from the wearer's throat by way of single or dual sensors worn against the neck. The sensors, called

transducer A transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another. Usually a transducer converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another. Transducers are often employed at the boundaries of automation, measurement, and con ...

s, can pick up speech even in extremely noisy or windy environments, such as on a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

or in a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gen ...

. Other types of microphones do not function well under these conditions because of high levels of background noise. Advanced laryngophones are able to pick up whispers, and therefore perform well in environments where communicating with others at a distance in silence is required, such as during covert military or law enforcement operations. Throat microphones are also very useful when helmets or respiratory protection is required. Many full-face

SCBA A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), sometimes referred to as a compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA) or simply breathing apparatus (BA), is a device worn to provide breathable air in an atmosphere that is immediately dangerous to ...

, CABA, SAR Respirator, Elastomeric Respirator, N95 Respirator PAPR, or re-breather masks do not have a provision for a microphone inside the mask. The throat microphone can be used safely, as it is positioned outside the mask's face seal and as such does not compromise the respiratory protection provided by the mask, nor does it violate mask approvals and certification.

Operation

A contact microphone is fastened to the neck below the larynx and records a signal related to the sound in the trachea. The contact microphone senses the vibration in the wall of the neck. These vibrations reflect the mechanical shocks that result from the closing of the glottis and the variations of the subglottic pressure. This results from the interrupted transglottal airflow. A contact microphone can also be known as an accelerometer microphone. This is fastened below the larynx to produce a signal that is related to the vocal fold vibrations and the sound pressure in the trachea. The waveform produced by the contact microphone is usually independent on articulation. This is due to the high glottal impedance. The signal produced by the contact microphone measures fundamental frequency. The contact microphone is a simple accelerometer containing a piezo-electric ceramic disc as the pick-up unit. The disc is enclosed in a metal container of 15 mm in diameter and 5 mm in thickness and weighs about 20 grams.

History

World War I – first throat mics

Charles Edmond Prince lead the development of throat microphones for the British during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

for use in the noisy and windy environment of aircraft cockpits. Over a 3 year period from 1915-1918 they went through a series of prototype and production handheld "airplane telephones" before arriving at a hands free throat mic incorporated into a

leather flying helmet During the first years of aviation, pilots started wearing leather flying helmets as a form of protection from the cold and the noise of aircraft engines. Leather was becoming a popular choice for protective gear with the rise of motor sport and ...

.The National Archives
Fighting talk: First World War telecommunications
/ref>IEEE Spectrum
In World War I, British Biplanes Had Wireless Phones in the Cockpit
/ref>

World War II – full body suits

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

pilotsReitsch, H., 1955, The Sky My Kingdom, London: Biddles Limited, Guildford and King's Lynn, and

panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrma ...

crews used throat microphones. Soon after, they were adopted by the Allied air forces—the

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

with the T-20 and T-30 and the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

with the Mark II. Later, Soviet pilots relied on LA-3 and LA-5 models.

Scientific studies

Starting in the 1970s, researchers explored the use of throat microphones in

speech therapy Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

Current use

Throat microphones have maintained their presence in the military,

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term ...

, and emergency services. Newer single-

designs are available that make the throat microphone much more comfortable to wear than earlier units and also better balance transmission quality. Additionally, this next generation of throat microphones provides varying outputs and frequency responses to accommodate a wide variety of professional communication devices such as digital and analog portable radios and

Terrestrial Trunked Radio Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA; formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio), a European standard for a trunked radio system, is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification. TETRA was specifically designed for use by go ...

(TETRA) and P25 systems. Several throat microphones including wireless throat mics now exist for mobile devices. Mobile device apps are starting to allow further customisation for end-user applications. Consumer uses such as for

airsoft Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns. Although similar ...

competitions and motorcycle riding are increasingly more popular. With

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

and higher rate of face mask usage throat mics for general use is becoming more common to facilitate communications.

Notes

{{Reflist Microphones