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A portable digital speech-rate converter for hearing impairment
Y Nejime1, T Aritsuka, T Imamura
1Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. nejime@crl.hitachi.co.jp
IEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering : a Publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
|June 1, 1996
Summary
A new portable device slows speech in real-time for hearing-impaired individuals. This speech-rate conversion technology improves sentence recognition by aiding auditory information transfer.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Digital Signal Processing
Background:
- Hearing impairment affects speech perception, particularly with fast speech.
- Conventional hearing aids do not address speech rate as a primary factor.
- Auditory temporal resolution is crucial for processing speech information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a real-time, portable device for slowing speech speed without altering pitch.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of this speech-rate conversion device for hearing-impaired individuals.
Main Methods:
- Development of a hand-sized device combining solid-state memory and digital signal processing (DSP).
- Implementation of a simplified pitch-synchronous, time-scale-modification algorithm for speech expansion.
- Sentence and word recognition tests conducted with elderly hearing-impaired listeners.
Main Results:
- Seven out of ten participants showed improved sentence recognition using the device at the highest expansion rate.
- No significant improvement was observed in word recognition tests.
- The device facilitates information transfer from short-term to long-term auditory memory.
Conclusions:
- The proposed device offers a novel approach to support hearing-impaired individuals by managing speech rate.
- Speech-rate conversion can enhance auditory information processing beyond conventional hearing aid functions.
- This technology has the potential to mitigate auditory ability deterioration.