Scientists created an algorithm that «drives away» the surrounding noise
In the scientific journal «Journal of the Acoustical Society of America», researchers describe how they used the latest advances in the nervous system to help participants in the study recognize speech, at a rate ranging from 10% to 90%.
Scientists hope that this new technology will pave the way for a new generation of digital hearing aids. Indeed, according to researchers, such hearing aids could even exist inside smartphones, which would perform the necessary processing just like a computer and would transmit the amplified signal wirelessly through very small earphones.
«The conquest of ambient space noise is the “Holy Goblet” in hearing technology for half a century», explains Eric Healy, professor of Speech and Hearing Science and director of the Speech and Psychoacoustics Laboratory at Ohio University.
The desire to understand a voice in a crowded room where everyone is talking has taken the name «cocktail party problem».
«Focusing on what a person says and ignoring all the other noises is easy for those with normal hearing, but extremely difficult for those who have hearing problems», says Professor Healy and continues: «With this research we have found a way to do the work on behalf of these people».
The key to this technology is an algorithm on the computer discovered by DeLiang «Leon» Wang, professor of Computer Science and Engineering, together with his research team. This algorithm quickly analyzes speech and eliminates the largest amount of ambient noise.
Approximately 10% of the world's population, that is 700 million people worldwide, suffer from hearing loss and the problem worsens with age.
Source: vita.gr
