Some 25% of adults snore habitually, creating secondhand problems for those trying to sleep nearby (bed partners), frequently including chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can impose a significant burden on health, cognition, driving ability, and social relationships. In the proposed Phase I effort, we will conduct a proof of concept (POC) test of technology for unobtrusively canceling the sound of snoring at the ears of a bed partner while permitting natural hearing of other sounds. The POC effort will comprise; 1) assembling a test system, 2) determining an adaptive situational transfer function, 3) quantifying real-time snore canceling performance of the Phase I device and algorithm and investigating sensor fusion enabling multi-transducer embodiments, and 4) working with our academic collaborator to secure IRB approval for Phase II activities involving human subjects. In Phase II, a device will be developed having consumer and sleep research applications. By selectively canceling snoring sounds, the envisioned device will enable a bed partner to sleep more and more peacefully. The envisioned device also is the basis for a new sleep research tool to study the impact of secondhand effects of snoring, as well as automating and simplifying the gathering and analyzing of breathing sound and other data useful in sleep research.
