Hearing Assistance Comes to the Home
From: ICT Results - 12/29/2009

European researchers working on the Hearing at Home (HaH) project have
developed a technology platform designed to help the hearing-impaired. HaH
features a TV set-top box (STB) that links hardware from around the house to
the TV so that users can access several different appliances at once.
Normally, when a person suffering from hearing loss gets a hearing aid, an
acoustician must test a wide range of frequencies to determine which ones to
boost and which to suppress in order to maximize sound clarity. "With our
STB, the user can go through this test, by themselves, in 10 minutes," says
HaH's Jochen Meyer. The STB also aids users with other household activities.
For example, when the phone rings, an alert appears on the TV screen. If
somebody comes to the door, another alert shows up. The system also links to
household appliances, including fire alarms, washing machines, microwaves,
and ovens. In addition, the STB comes equipped with an animated avatar that
can accurately lip sync any audio coming from the TV. The researchers are
currently testing the system in Oldenburg, Germany, and Madrid, Spain, while
investigating other applications for the technology. 

Read the entire article at:
http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&BrowsingType=Features&ID=91081

Links:
HaH
http://www.hearing-at-home.eu/

HaH fact sheet on CORDIS
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=IST_UNIFIEDSRCH&ACTION=D&DOC=6&CAT=PROJ&QUERY=0123e6924388:078e:0d66dfbe&RCN=80471

Hearing at Home Newsletter
http://www.hearing-at-home.eu/newsletter/newsletter01/index.html