Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU) and hearing aid manufacturer Sonova have developed robots that can measure how sound behaves in rooms. This collects data needed to develop better background noise filters. This in turn serves to improve hearing aids in rooms with a lot of background noise.
Hearing aids can be adjusted depending on the environment, according to a statement from the HSLU on Thursday (see Resources). However, these filters are only based on general default settings and therefore always reach their limits in practice.
To improve this, more data about the behavior of sound is needed, according to the HSLU. However, obtaining such data is difficult. “If these detailed measurements are performed manually by humans, they are extremely time-consuming,” HSLU acoustics expert Armin Taghipour explains in the statement.
According to the university, the behavior of sound in space is complex. It changes depending on what a room looks like. Whether it is large or small, whether it is carpeted or wood paneled. The sound also changes when a speaking person moves. It also plays a role whether someone is standing in a corner or in the middle of the room.
According to the university, the new robots can move independently through space and measure both the volume of background noise and room acoustics.
The university explains in the press release:
Hearing aids can be adjusted depending on the environment. But these audio filters only offer very general presets and therefore always reach their limits. This makes social contacts extremely difficult for people with hearing impairment: in a restaurant they are excluded from shared conversations; in a business meeting it is difficult for them to contribute their ideas because they have to concentrate mainly on understanding what others are saying.
(dsc/sda)
source: watson
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