Behavioral Validation of the Smartphone for Remote Microphone Technology

Area of Science:

• Audiology and Hearing Science
• Mobile Health Technology
• Speech Processing

Background:

• Speech recognition in noise is a significant challenge for individuals with hearing impairments.
• Existing hearing aid technology may not fully address complex listening environments.
• Smartphone integration offers potential for enhanced assistive listening solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Smartphone Hearing Aid Research Project Version 2 (SHARP-2) app in improving speech recognition in noise.
• To assess the app's performance across different hearing aid manufacturers and user hearing statuses (normal vs. impaired).

Main Methods:

• Participants (normal and impaired hearing) used three types of wireless-connected hearing aids (HAs) with an iPhone.
• A speech recognition task was performed in a noisy environment under two conditions: HAs alone and HAs with the SHARP-2 app.
• Varying signal-to-noise ratios (-10 to +10) were used with a constant speech signal level (65 dBA).

Main Results:

• The SHARP-2 app improved speech recognition for most participants across all tested hearing aid brands.
• Greatest improvements were observed in individuals with normal hearing (33.56%) and impaired hearing (22.21%) using specific 'made-for-all' phones HAs.
• The app demonstrated measurable benefits, particularly when the listening task was challenging with HAs alone.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone-based applications like SHARP-2 are effective in enhancing speech recognition in challenging acoustic conditions.
• This technology presents an economical approach to improving communication for diverse user groups.
• Continued development of such mobile health solutions is warranted for broader accessibility and benefit.