Mind-controlled hearing aids filter out background noise by tracking the wearer’s brain activity

Home / Devices / Mind-controlled hearing aids filter out background noise by tracking the wearer’s brain activity
August 08, 2017August 8, 2017
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  • The technology allows the user to focus on just a single strand of conversation
  • Monitors the user’s brain activity to determine a ‘main’ voice, which is amplified 
  • According to the researchers, this process takes approximately 10 seconds
  • Current hearing aids are unable to determine the person who is being listened to
  • Previous research reveals more than 28million in the US may benefit from an aid 

Scientists have created a hearing aid that is controlled by the mind, new research reveals.

The technology filters out background noise, allowing the wearer to focus on just one conversation, a study found.

Such a hearing aid works by monitoring the user’s brain activity to determine who they are conversing with and amplifying that voice, the research adds.

Current hearing aids can filter out background noise but are unable to determine specifically who the wearer is listening to.

Previous research reveals more than 28million people in the US could benefit from wearing a hearing aid.

Scientists have created a hearing aid that is controlled by the mind, research reveals (stock)

Scientists have created a hearing aid that is controlled by the mind, research reveals

COULD CHEESE CURE DEAFNESS?

Cheese could hold the secret to better hearing, research revealed back in June.

Scientists believe that cheese contains a chemical compound that could prevent or cure deafness caused by exposure to loud noise.

In animals, the compound, known as D-methionine, has been found to help protect against – and even reverse – damage to nerve cells in the ear.

One theory is that noise triggers the release of damaging chemicals called free radicals, which can be neutralised by the amino acid D-methionine.

Other research has shown the chemical can even reverse hearing loss if given within seven hours of exposure to loud noise.

No drugs are available that achieve the same effect.

‘Combines speech engineering and auditory decoding’  

Researchers from Columbia University in New York are behind the technology, which picks up several speakers before separating them into individual voices.

The hearing aid then uses the listener’s brain signals to determine the ‘main voice’, which it amplifies.

According to the researchers, this process takes around 10 seconds.

Study author Professor Nima Mesgarani said: ‘This work combines the state of the art from two disciplines: speech engineering and auditory attention decoding,’ The Times reported.

The findings were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.

‘Separates speaker from mixture’ 

This research builds on previous findings that demonstrated a listener’s ‘voice target’ can be determined by measuring nerve responses in their brain.

Professor Mesgarani added: ‘Our study takes a significant step towards automatically separating an attended speaker from the mixture.’

Although the researchers accept additional studies are required to perfect the technology, they believe such trials are worth doing as almost all of the study’s participants said they wished to continue using the device.

It is unclear when the hearing aid may be available.