Research > Faculty Projects
Demonstration of Hearing Aid Breakthrough
Principal Investigator
Les E. Atlas, Pamela Souza (Speech and Hearing)
Sponsor(s)
University of Washington, Office of Technolgoy
Transfer, Technology Gap Innovation Fund (TGIF)
Award Period
07/01/2005 - 12/30/2019
Abstract
Our goal is to put together the system for the real-time
demonstration of a talker-trainable system for clear
hearing amplification in multi-talker noise.
Improving speech understanding in background noise is the highest priority communication improvement sought by hearing aid wearers as well. Only one-third of hearing aid wearers report satisfaction with their aids’ performance in background noise. Even if we consider only listeners fit with the most sophisticated hearing aid noise reduction systems available, less than half report that they are satisfied with in-noise performance, especially when the noise is from surrounding conversations, such as in a restaurant or group social or business situation. Clearly, hearing aids fall short in this area.
Over the last five years, Prof. Les Atlas and his students have developed a theory for new forms of signal modification and display. Algorithms from this theory, called “modulation spectra,” provide new approaches to processing signal dynamics. As we have recently found and not yet published, a standard least-squares approach to optimal filtering on modulation spectra can substantially increase the clarity of a desired talker in the presence of other talkers.
This modulation spectrum approach has already been disclosed to the UW TechTransfer Digital Ventures, with patent pending, for audio coding and related applications. Fraunhofer IIS, the inventors of MP3, have previously non- exclusively licensed this patent from the University of Washington. Other non-hearing aid applications and developments continue. But applications to hearing aids, beyond the very promising completed research results below, still need to be developed to the point of real-time demonstration.
Updates or corrections to this page should be sent to gheaton@u.washington.edu.
