HEARING LOSS AND PROSTHESIS SIMULATOR

听力损失和假肢模拟器

• 批准号: 6480272
• 负责人: Patrick M. Zurek
• 金额: $ 11.36万
• 依托单位: SENSIMETRICS CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-05-01 至 2003-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6480272
• 关键词: bioengineering /biomedical engineering; biomedical equipment development; cochlear implants; computer system hardware; ear /hearing prosthesis; electronic stimulator; hearing disorders; miniature biomedical equipment; noise; portable biomedical equipment

The long-term goal of the proposed work is a system that simulates the auditory-perceptual effects of hearing loss in combination with hearing aids, cochlear implants, or other auditory prostheses. This simulator will be completely wearable so that it can be used in everyday settings without occupying hands or eyes. Alternatively, it can be used while tethered to a computer for extensive changes of system characteristics. It will be a binaural system, with loss and prosthesis characteristics independently specifiable for the left and right channels, and it will provide simple controls so that when it is un-tethered from the PC the user can switch among several loss and prosthesis settings. The eventual goal is to make the simulator available at moderate cost (approximately $700) for the following applications: training audiologists and educators of the deaf; demonstrations in hearing- conservation and public education programs; demonstrations for families of hearing-impaired and deaf persons; demonstrations for prospective hearing aid users; and as a research tool. The work in Phase I will develop the core DSP technology for the system and will assess the feasibility of a hybrid method employing passive attenuation, masking noise, and automatic gain control that is expected to enable simulation of hearing losses as large as 100 dB for a user immersed in a sound field. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The primary market for the simulator consists of training programs in audiology and deaf-education, parent/relative-counseling programs, and researchers. The size of this market in the U.S. is estimated to be about a thousand units, with a similar-sized market in the rest of the world. A larger market group, though one with less motivation to purchase, is the roughly 10,000 hearing-aid dispensers in the U.S.

拟议工作的长期目标是建立一个与助听器、人工耳蜗或其他听觉假体相结合来模拟听力损失的听觉感知效果的系统。该模拟器将是完全可穿戴的，因此可以在日常环境中使用，而无需占用手或眼睛。或者，它可以在连接到计算机时使用，以对系统特性进行广泛的更改。它将是一个双耳系统，具有可独立指定左声道和右声道的损耗和假体特性，并且它将提供简单的控制，以便当它脱离 PC 时，用户可以在多种损耗和假体设置之间切换。最终目标是以适中的成本（约 700 美元）提供模拟器，用于以下应用：培训听力学家和聋人教育工作者；听力保护和公共教育计划的示范；为听力障碍者和聋人家庭举行示威活动；为潜在的助听器用户进行演示；并作为研究工具。第一阶段的工作将为该系统开发核心 DSP 技术，并将评估采用无源衰减、掩蔽噪声和自动增益控制的混合方法的可行性，该方法有望模拟沉浸在声场中的用户高达 100 dB 的听力损失。拟议的商业应用：模拟器的主要市场包括听力学和聋人教育培训项目、家长/亲属咨询项目和研究人员。美国这个市场的规模估计约为 1000 台，世界其他地区也有类似规模的市场。美国大约有 10,000 个助听器分配器，但其购买动力较小，是一个较大的市场群体。