{"id":1913,"date":"2022-03-11T19:11:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T00:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theentcenter.com\/?p=1913"},"modified":"2022-03-11T19:11:57","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T00:11:57","slug":"what-could-the-future-of-hearing-aids-hold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theentcenter.com\/what-could-the-future-of-hearing-aids-hold\/","title":{"rendered":"What Could the Future of Hearing Aids Hold?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s hearing aids<\/a> are great at selecting a speaker\u2019s voice and amplifying it while suppressing distracting background noise like traffic. However, what even the most state-of-the-art devices still struggle with is boosting a speaker\u2019s voice over other voices. This is known as the cocktail party problem, and it\u2019s common at venues like The EARL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, researchers at Columbia University in New York City are developing new technology that can better amplify the correct speaker in a group setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Brain-Controlled Hearing Aid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Otoscope<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Most hearing aids use external sound amplifiers, like microphones, to pick up the speaker directly in front of you. The Columbia research team\u2019s new technology instead monitors the wearer\u2019s brain waves to boost the voice they want to focus on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This hearing technology<\/a> is extremely complex. It utilizes speech-separation algorithms with neural networks \u2013 complex mathematical models that imitate the brain\u2019s natural computational abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the system separates the voices of individual speakers from a group. Then, it compares the voices of each speaker to the brain waves of the person listening. The speaker whose voice pattern matches the listener\u2019s brain waves most is amplified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to senior study author Nima Mesgarani, Ph.D.<\/a>, \u201cBy creating a device that harnesses the power of the brain itself, we hope our work will lead to technological improvements that enable the hundreds of millions of hearing-impaired people worldwide to communicate just as easily as their friends and family do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to test how effective this technology is, the Columbia research team partnered with Ashesh Dinesh Mehta, M.D., Ph.D., who is a neurosurgeon at the Northwell Health Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery and works with epilepsy patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mehta\u2019s patients volunteered to partake in the study, which entailed wearing electrodes placed in the brain while listening to various speakers. The researchers then monitored the volunteers\u2019 brain waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The algorithm tracked their attention as they shifted their focus from speaker to speaker. The amplification did indeed reflect that shift in attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, the research team is investigating how to transform their prototype into a noninvasive device that can be worn on the head or ears. They also hope to refine the algorithm so it can function effectively in more environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call The ENT Center of Central Georgia<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n