The utility of wearable tactile devices as speech reading aids are compromised by background noises even more rapidly than are hearing aids. However, in attempting to deal with this problem it must be kept in mind that such tactile devices are also used as simple sound awareness aids by the deaf population, so methods used to reduce the speech reading difficulty must take into account other use modalities of such devices. The ability of directional microphones to decrease noise interfering with speech reading and the technology for building such microphones in small case-noise resistant packages has been demonstrated in the Phase I portion of this study. The work describe in this follow-on study focuses on the different needs of tactile users by combining a directional microphone with an adaptive electronic network that automatically causes the microphone to operate as an omnidirectional unit when no loud speech signal is present along the main axis of reception. The major goal in this part of the study is to construct two versions of such an adaptive microphone system, one body worn and one head worn, and field evaluate them with experienced tactile aid users. This kind of an adaptive directional microphone system would enhance the utility of tactile aid systems, cochlear implant systems and probably hearing aids as well. In event the work is successful, Audiological Engineering would either manufacture such an adaptive microphone system or enter into a licensing agreement with another manufacturer to do so.
