{"id":1767,"date":"2022-03-11T16:17:31","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T00:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hearingaidreno.com\/?p=1767"},"modified":"2022-03-11T16:17:33","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T00:17:33","slug":"what-could-the-future-of-hearing-aids-hold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearingaidreno.com\/what-could-the-future-of-hearing-aids-hold\/","title":{"rendered":"What Could the Future of Hearing Aids Hold?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One thing our brains do really well is pick out a single voice from background noise. Unfortunately, this is a task that many hearing aids<\/a> struggle with; though advanced hearing aids can pick out voices from noise like street traffic, they have a much harder time when the background noise is more voices, like at Virginia Street Brewhouse<\/a>. This is known as the cocktail party problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers at Columbia University in New York City are setting out to fix this problem. In fact, they\u2019ve developed artificially intelligent (AI) technology that can amplify the correct speaker in a group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initial Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In 2017<\/a>, the Columbia research team created a system that could pick out a desired voice to amplify over other voices, but there was one major limitation: the device had to be pretrained to recognize specific speakers. So if you were in a restaurant with your family, your spouse\u2019s voice would be amplified, but as soon as the waiter came over to recite the day\u2019s specials, you wouldn\u2019t necessarily be able to switch your attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding from Columbia Technology Ventures allowed the team to improve their original algorithm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2019<\/a>, the Columbia research team published a study detailing their new and improved technology. This complex system utilizes speech-separation algorithms with neural networks, which are complex mathematical models that imitate the brain\u2019s natural computational abilities. It also monitors the wearer\u2019s brain waves so it can boost the voice they want to focus on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The device works by separating the voices of individual speakers from a group, then comparing the voices of each speaker to the brain waves of the person listening. The speaker whose voice pattern most closely matches the listener\u2019s brain waves is amplified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\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 explained senior study author Nima Mesgarani, Ph.D<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The next steps for the research team are to refine the algorithm so it can function in a broader range of environments as well as transform their prototype into a noninvasive device that can be worn externally on the head or ears. For more information about today\u2019s hearing technology<\/a> or to schedule an appointment, call LeMay Hearing & Balance<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n