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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Semin Hear 2021; 42(03): 175-185
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735174
Review Article

Hearing Aid Technology to Improve Speech Intelligibility in Noise

Joshua M. Alexander
1   Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
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Abstract

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. The purpose of this issue of Seminars in Hearing 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. 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.

Keywords

speech-in-noise - wind noise - classification - directional microphones - binaural signal processing - beamformers - motion sensors - machine learning - hearable - healthable


Publication History

Article published online:
24 September 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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  • Reference

  • 1 Alexander JM, Masterson K. Effects of WDRC release time and number of channels on output SNR and speech recognition. Ear Hear 2015; 36 (02) e35-e49
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