Mobile App Turns iPhone into a Biologically-Inspired Hearing Aid
From: University of Essex - 03/27/2013

A free mobile app developed by a team at the University of Essex could be an
example of the future of hearing-aid technology. Inspired by biology, BioAid
is designed to turn an iPhone or iPod into a hearing aid, while replicating
the complexities of the human ear. A standard hearing aid amplifies all
sounds, some frequencies more than others, offering only a single setting.
However, the app also compresses the very loud sounds that can make certain
social situations intolerable for people with hearing loss. BioAid offers six
fixed settings, each of which has four fine-tuning settings that allow the
user to find the perfect match for their impairment. This exploratory process
replaces the hearing test. In the future, tiny, phone-based hearing aids
could be dispensed and adjusted remotely. "This new device opens up many
intriguing research possibilities allowing scientists to explore new ideas in
hearing aid design and how they work in everyday settings," says Essex's
Wendy Lecluyse. "At the moment, we are particularly interested to find out
how the preferred setting of each user corresponds with their hearing
problem."

Read the entire article and view a video (4:17) at:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/news/event.aspx?e_id=5095

Links:
Ray Meddis
http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/department/people/Meddis.html

Wendy Lecluyse
http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/department/people/lecluyse.html

BioAid
http://bioaid.org.uk/

Download BioAid
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/bioaid/id577764716