Communications of the ACM
Scientists Target Smartphone Technology to Improve Hearing Devices
"Smartphones used by billions of people have very powerful processors and other features . . . that could aid HAD wearers," says UT Dallas Associate Professor Issa Panahi.
Credit: University of Texas at Dallas
With the support of a $522,000, two-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, a team from the University of Texas at Dallas wants to harness the power of smartphones to help improve the quality of life of people who wear hearing assistive devices (HAD), including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and personal sound amplifiers.
"Current hearing assistive devices are able to fit inside or behind the ear, but come with small, not very powerful processors to keep the device small, low power, and low cost," says Issa Panahi, associate professor of electrical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and principal investigator of the research.
"On the other hand, smartphones used by billions of people have very powerful processors and other features such as large memories, microphones, speakers, wireless technology, and long-lasting batteries that could aid HAD wearers."
HAD algorithms can differentiate between a limited number of noises, Panahi says. More sophisticated algorithms are needed to cover more types of background noise signals, and these algorithms for noise classification and speech enhancement require more powerful processors and additional power consumption — the capabilities that smartphones can provide.
UT Dallas researchers are especially interested in the automatic classification of various background noise signals and enhancement of both quality and intelligibility of speech signals in noisy environments and crowded places.
"Current hearing aids don't enhance speech signals optimally in an automatic manner," Panahi says. "The success of this project will open the door to the development of a wide collection of smartphone apps to be used in conjunction with hearing aid devices."
The research team also includes Nasser Kehtarnavaz, professor of electrical engineering in the Jonsson School, and Linda Thibodeau, a professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and member of the Callier Center for Communications Disorders.
"We are lucky at UT Dallas that we have the Callier Center," Panahi says. "Not many universities have the technological, signal processing, real-time algorithm development, and engineering capabilities and experiences, as well as expertise in clinical testing and interfacing with HAD users in one place."
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