Phase II year
2022
(last award dollars: 2023)
Phase II Amount
$1,952,819
Hearing loss (HL) is an invisible disability affecting 360 million people worldwide that can have far-reaching consequences, including reduced quality of life, increased risk of falls, and cognitive decline, yet onlyone in three individuals with HL owns a hearing aid (HA). Despite a strong desire and need in the hearing losscommunity for quality, affordable hearing aids, the proprietary "black box" nature of commercial HAs is a majorobstacle to achieving breakthroughs in audiology research, improving hearing aid technology, and translating itto use by hearing impaired individuals. Motived by the need for alternatives to commercial HA devices foraudiology research, the Nadi team developed the Open-source Speech Processing Platform (OSP) for hearingaid research and development, which has the potential to bridge the gap between audiology research andcommercialization of HL technologies, as well as promote psychophysical research beyond what is feasibletoday. OSP comprises multiple real-time master hearing aid algorithms (MHAs) and an embedded web serverthat hosts onboard apps (accessible by any browser-enabled device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or a PC) tomonitor and control hearing aid operation. OSP hardware includes a wearable processor based on smartphonechipsets and behind-the-ear, receiver-in-the-canal (BTE-RIC) form factor ear-level assemblies. The feasibility of the OSP system was demonstrated in the lab and the field for both audiologist-fittingand self-fitting. The proposed direct Phase II project will validate the platform with clinical testing, the results ofwhich will inform development of a manufacturing package for OSP hardware and a software supportinfrastructure for audiology research using OSP. The OSP software, including audiology research tools (Aim 1)and outcome assessment tools (Aim 2), will be validated by measuring aided speech perception outcomes inquiet and noisy environments for adults with HL. This will establish the validity of OSP for clinical research underrealistic conditions. In addition, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) tools (Aim 3) will be validated usingwell established software test procedures for correctness of operation. The hardware revisions and Agilesoftware development based on user feedback will result in a rich suite of algorithms, including multiple MHAs,apps for both researchers and listeners with HL to control MHAs, automated tools to assess outcomes, and toolsto administer EMA surveys in the field. This project will be conducted by a strong interdisciplinary team comprisedof investigators in systems design and signal processing, product development and support, softwarearchitecture, hardware manufacturing, and audiology. The success of this project will lead to a validated set ofopen-source HA research tools that will allow researchers to investigate the interactions among various signalprocessing functions, undertake psychophysical research not possible with current tools, and generate evidence-based solutions to increase access to hearing healthcare.
Public Health Relevance Statement: PROJECT NARRATIVE The proposed project will bring to market an open-source speech processing platform (OSP) and related technical support to enable clinical audiology research on hearing loss and related disorders. The proposed work will create powerful, full-stack, open-source research tools that will enable audiology researchers and clinicians to rapidly discover, develop, and test innovations in hearing technology to improve speech quality in noisy environments and increase access with emerging over-the-counter hearing aids equipped with self-fitting capabilities. The innovative architecture and unique peripherals of the OSP will foster an ecosystem of engineering researchers supporting clinical research to improve quality and access to hearing healthcare.
Project Terms:
