Electronic upgrades on the second generation of an autonomous and portable cetacean auditory screening system

Abstract

While noise is now considered a marine hazard that can directly affect cetaceans and induce a stranding, no clinical approach has yet introduced the detection of a possible hearing loss at a stranding site as a necessary practice. Here we present the second generation of an autonomous and portable auditory screening system for cetacean clinical and research purposes. This system is composed by two independent and autonomous modules that build a more versatile, lighter and interference isolated system. The improvement relies on the isolation between modules and their independency on many situations. The system is separated in two modules. The first one contains the low voltage biopotential amplification system and the acustic signal transmiter . The second module will activate only when needed for some frequencies and levels driving high voltage to the transducers thus avoiding interferences with the first module containing the low voltage amplifications system. The tool has been successfully tested for research purposes in captive dolphins and calibrated for a stranding site diagnoses operation.