SBIR-STTR Award

Portable Hearing Laboratory
Award last edited on: 2/19/2024

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NIH : NIDCD
Total Award Amount
$4,860,357
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
173
Principal Investigator
Caslav Vojislav Pavlovic

Company Information

BatAndCat Corporation (AKA: BatAndCat Sound Labs~BatAndCat Inc)

602 Hawthorne Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
   (650) 804-0024
   N/A
   www.batandcat.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 18
County: Santa Clara

Phase I

Contract Number: 1R44DC016247-01A1
Start Date: 7/1/2017    Completed: 6/30/2021
Phase I year
2017
Phase I Amount
$374,226
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has recently funded a number of projects (referred further to as “concurrent projects”) to develop portable signal processing tools that provide substantial computing power for real-time processing of the acoustic environment. The overarching goal is to provide a large group of researchers (”Community”) with the means to ef?ciently develop and evaluate, in collaborative multi-center environments, novel signal processing schemes, individualized ?tting procedures, and technical solutions and services for hearing devices such as hearing aids and assistive listening devices. In the already funded project 1R01DC015429 (Hohmann and Pavlovic) our emphases is on developing open source code for real-time runtime environments for standard PC platforms with standard sound hardware (Windows and Linux operating systems) as well as for ARM platforms (Beaglebone black with 2/2- and 6/2-ch AD/DA (Linux)). Furthermore, to enable researchers to perform testing with small size wearables in the ?eld, ARM Cortex®-M4 micro-controller support (i.e. library calls to the Cortex kernel routines) will be also included from July 1 2018. The purpose of this complementary project is to develop a portable, rigid, versatile and wearable platform featuring an ARM Cortex®-M4 processor and able to run software developed in the concurrent project of Hohmann and Pavlovic. This Portable Hearing Aid Community Platform (PHACP) consists of both hardware elements to provide the advanced desired functionality and software routines to provide the basic intra-device data ?ow (operating system) as well as interconnectivity with other devices such as telephones and remote microphones. What this projects brings is the only platform that is not only portable physically, but provides for all the features that researchers may need to empower or even conceive new algorithms. In addition, the company will launch the device for the sales into consumer market where it will provide for unprecedented performance by the hearing impaired individuals. Most importantly, the innovative stream of algorithms ported immediately by the researchers to the device would provide for a continuous and sustainable competitive advantage. Public Health Relevance Statement The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has recently funded a number of projects to provide a large group of researchers with the means to ef?ciently develop and evaluate, in collaborative multi-center environments, novel signal processing schemes, individualized ?tting procedures, and technical solutions and services for hearing devices such as hearing aids and assistive listening devices. The purpose of this complementary project is to develop a portable, rigid, versatile and wearable hardware platform featuring an ARM Cortex®-M4 processor and able to run software developed in the concurrent project of Hohmann and Pavlovic 1R01DC015429.

Project Terms:
Acoustic; Acoustics; Algorithms; Communities; Ear; Elements; Engineering; Environment; Esthetics; Goals; sound perception; hearing perception; Hearing; Hearing Aids; Laboratories; Libraries; Light; Photoradiation; Phonation; Rage; Research Personnel; Researchers; Investigators; Running; Sales; Computer software; Software; sound; Telephone; Phone; Testing; Time; Device Designs; Procedures; Left; Individual; Funding; Letters; tool; Mechanics; mechanical; Side; Stream; Services; Performance; novel; Devices; Touch sensation; tactile sensation; Touch; Code; Coding System; Sampling; social stigma; stigma; software development; developing computer software; develop software; portability; Cellular Phone; smartphone; smart phone; iPhone; Cellular Telephone; Cell Phone; hearing impairment; Hypoacusis; Hypoacuses; Hearing Loss; Data; Scheme; Validation; wireless; Wireless Technology; Operating System; Output; Source Code; NIDCD; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; designing; design; Linux; innovation; innovative; innovate; open source; prototype; signal processing; Binaural

Phase II

Contract Number: 5R44DC016247-02
Start Date: 7/1/2017    Completed: 6/30/2021
Phase II year
2018
(last award dollars: 2023)
Phase II Amount
$4,486,131

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has recently funded a number of projects (referred further to as “concurrent projects”) to develop portable signal processing tools that provide substantial computing power for real-time processing of the acoustic environment. The overarching goal is to provide a large group of researchers (”Community”) with the means to ef?ciently develop and evaluate, in collaborative multi-center environments, novel signal processing schemes, individualized ?tting procedures, and technical solutions and services for hearing devices such as hearing aids and assistive listening devices. In the already funded project 1R01DC015429 (Hohmann and Pavlovic) our emphases is on developing open source code for real-time runtime environments for standard PC platforms with standard sound hardware (Windows and Linux operating systems) as well as for ARM platforms (Beaglebone black with 2/2- and 6/2-ch AD/DA (Linux)). Furthermore, to enable researchers to perform testing with small size wearables in the ?eld, ARM Cortex®-M4 micro-controller support (i.e. library calls to the Cortex kernel routines) will be also included from July 1 2018. The purpose of this complementary project is to develop a portable, rigid, versatile and wearable platform featuring an ARM Cortex®-M4 processor and able to run software developed in the concurrent project of Hohmann and Pavlovic. This Portable Hearing Aid Community Platform (PHACP) consists of both hardware elements to provide the advanced desired functionality and software routines to provide the basic intra-device data ?ow (operating system) as well as interconnectivity with other devices such as telephones and remote microphones. What this projects brings is the only platform that is not only portable physically, but provides for all the features that researchers may need to empower or even conceive new algorithms. In addition, the company will launch the device for the sales into consumer market where it will provide for unprecedented performance by the hearing impaired individuals. Most importantly, the innovative stream of algorithms ported immediately by the researchers to the device would provide for a continuous and sustainable competitive advantage. Public Health Relevance Statement The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has recently funded a number of projects to provide a large group of researchers with the means to ef?ciently develop and evaluate, in collaborative multi-center environments, novel signal processing schemes, individualized ?tting procedures, and technical solutions and services for hearing devices such as hearing aids and assistive listening devices. The purpose of this complementary project is to develop a portable, rigid, versatile and wearable hardware platform featuring an ARM Cortex®-M4 processor and able to run software developed in the concurrent project of Hohmann and Pavlovic 1R01DC015429.

Project Terms:
Acoustics; Acoustic; Algorithms; Communities; Ear; Elements; Engineering; Environment; Esthetics; Goals; Hearing; sound perception; hearing perception; Hearing Aids; Laboratories; Libraries; Light; Photoradiation; Rage; Research Personnel; Researchers; Investigators; Running; Sales; Computer software; Software; sound; Telephone; Phone; Testing; Time; Device Designs; Procedures; Left; Individual; Funding; Letters; tool; Mechanics; mechanical; Side; Stream; Services; data management; Performance; novel; Devices; Touch sensation; tactile sensation; Touch; Code; Coding System; Sampling; social stigma; stigma; software development; developing computer software; develop software; portability; Cellular Phone; smartphone; smart phone; iPhone; Cellular Telephone; Cell Phone; hearing impairment; Hypoacusis; Hypoacuses; Hearing Loss; Data; Scheme; Validation; wireless; Wireless Technology; Operating System; Output; Source Code; NIDCD; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; designing; design; Linux; innovative; innovate; innovation; open source; prototype; signal processing; Binaural; iPhone Application; iPhone App; iOS application; iOS app; Smartphone App; Smart Phone Application; Smart Phone App; Cellular Phone Application; Cellular Phone App; Cell phone App; Cell Phone Application; Android Application; Android App; smartphone Application; Bluetooth; wearable sensor; wearable device