Although hearing aids can make signals of interest more audible to people with hearing impairments, the intelligibility of speech may not be significantly improved when several talkers are present and/or reverberation is strong, such as in a crowded restaurant. Recent studies have predicted or shown some success in improving speech intelligibility when either several talkers or reverberation are present, using an adaptive beamformer in the first case and a fixed-weight beamformer in the second. The proposed Phase I research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a hybrid beamformer incorporating the strengths of an adaptive beamformer with the advantages of an optimally chosen fixed-weight beamformer. The projected Phase II effort would extend the Phase I work, resolving additional design issues, evaluating the technique in more realistic situations, and producing a prototype for a wearable personal hearing aid system based on the Phase I results. Such a product could be produced commercially and would increase the quality of life for many citizens with communication disorders arising from hearing impairment. The proposed device would provide a technological intervention to maintain the independence and productivity of many older people.
Potentially, the research will lead to a prototype for a wearable personal hearing aid which could be produced commercially and would improve the quality of life for many citizens with communication disorders arising from hearing impairment, including many older people. Other applications could include industrial noise protection, communication in factories or by divers under water, and sensors for active noise control.
