When you bring researchers and engineers from the world’s major hearing aid manufacturers together in one space to talk about their favorite topics, what do you get? Among the possibilities is a compendium of papers that sample the technology in today’s hearing aids. Guest-edited by Josh Alexander, the 2021 Fall issue of Seminars in Hearing features 9 open-access articles.
Related article: Researchers Find Two Biomarkers Involved in Speech in Noise
The purpose of this issue is to educate professionals and students in audiology, hearing science, and engineering about different approaches to combat problems related to environmental and wind noise using technologies that include classification, directional microphones, binaural signal processing, beamformers, motion sensors, and machine learning. The issue can be accessed here.
In a preface, Alexander summarizes how the articles fit together. An excerpt appears below:
Understanding speech in noise is difficult for individuals with normal hearing and is even more so for individuals with hearing loss. Difficulty understanding speech in noise is one of the primary reasons people seek hearing assistance. Despite amplification, many hearing aid users still struggle to understand speech in noise. In response to this persistent problem, hearing aid manufacturers have invested significantly in developing new solutions. Any solution is not without its tradeoffs, and decisions must be made when optimizing and implementing them. Much of this happens behind the scenes, and casual observers fail to appreciate the nuances of developing new hearing aid technologies. The difficulty of communicating this information to clinicians may hinder the use or the fine-tuning of the various technologies available today. To accomplish this purpose, some of the top researchers and engineers from the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturers agreed to share their unique insights.
Source: Seminars in Hearing
