New software to boost voice recognition for hearing aid and cochlear implant users

This is from Science Daily:

Hearing aids and cochlear implants act as tiny amplifiers so the deaf and hard-of-hearing can make sense of voices and music. Unfortunately, these devices also amplify background sound, so they’re less effective in a noisy environment like a busy workplace or café.

But help is on the way. Prof. Miriam Furst-Yust of Tel Aviv University’s School of Electrical Engineering has developed a new software application named “Clearcall” for cochlear implants and hearing aids which improves speech recognition for the hard-of-hearing by up to 50%.

“Hearing-impaired people have a real problem understanding speech,” says Prof. Furst-Yust. “Their devices may be useful in a quiet room, but once the background noise levels ramp up, the devices become less useful. Our algorithm helps filter out irrelevant noise so they can better understand the voices of their friends and family.”

Based on a cochlear model that she devised, the new patented technology is now being developed to improve the capabilities of existing cochlear implants and digital hearing aids. Adding Clearcall to current technology is quite straightforward, says Prof. Furst-Yust, and requires only add-on software for existing devices.

But help is on the way. Prof. Miriam Furst-Yust of Tel Aviv University’s School of Electrical Engineering has developed a new software application named “Clearcall” for cochlear implants and hearing aids which improves speech recognition for the hard-of-hearing by up to 50%.

“Hearing-impaired people have a real problem understanding speech,” says Prof. Furst-Yust. “Their devices may be useful in a quiet room, but once the background noise levels ramp up, the devices become less useful. Our algorithm helps filter out irrelevant noise so they can better understand the voices of their friends and family.”

Based on a cochlear model that she devised, the new patented technology is now being developed to improve the capabilities of existing cochlear implants and digital hearing aids. Adding Clearcall to current technology is quite straightforward, says Prof. Furst-Yust, and requires only add-on software for existing devices.

Read the full article on Science Daily.